The evolution of several Chinese characters (from Oracle to running script)

Looking at the evolution of Chinese characters as a whole, from the Yin and Shang Dynasties to the late Qing Dynasty, the evolution of Chinese characters went through stages such as oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, large seal script, small seal script, official script, regular script, cursive script, and running script.

1. Oracle bone inscriptions

Oracle bone inscriptions are the earliest form of Chinese characters discovered so far. It originated during the Yin and Shang Dynasties and was named after it was carved on the bones of turtle shells. There are more than 4,500 characters used on more than 100,000 oracle bones discovered so far, of which about 1,700 have been deciphered. Most of the oracle bone inscriptions are pictographic, referring to things and meanings. Influenced by the blades and tortoise shell animal bones used as the writing materials, the glyphs are much simpler and initially show a trend of symbolization.

In addition, because oracle bone inscriptions are not completely finalized, the stroke positions of the characters vary greatly, and one character often has multiple ways of writing. But as far as the content of oracle bone inscriptions is concerned, there are descriptions of simple things and complex events; they not only record events, but also clarify thoughts. This shows that oracle bone inscriptions are a very mature writing system.

2. Bronze Inscriptions

Bronze Inscriptions is the abbreviation of "Jijin Inscriptions". The ancients regarded sacrifices as auspicious rituals, and the bronze ritual vessels used for sacrifices were auspicious gold. This kind of writing is commonly cast on bronzes, coins, and seals. Collectively called "golden inscriptions". Bronze inscriptions first appeared in the late Shang Dynasty and became popular in the Western Zhou Dynasty. They evolved from oracle bone inscriptions. The structure is not much different from oracle bone inscriptions, but there are obvious differences in form: the strokes are thick and fat, and the corners are round.

Bronze inscriptions basically belong to the Zhuan style. These writings had been discovered during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Song Dynasty literati Ouyang Xiu and Zhao Mingcheng had written books to study and record the bronze inscriptions. With the development of history, bronze inscriptions were gradually eliminated, and there are not as many as the inscriptions handed down from generation to generation. However, because it was cast in bronze, it has been around longer than the words on bamboo slips and cloth. Therefore, its influence on the development and influence of Chinese characters and calligraphy cannot be ignored.

3. Big Seal Script

Big Seal Script is also called Zhou Wen. It is said that it was created by Tai Shi Zhou of King Wen of Zhou Dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it was popular in Qin and other places. Large seal scripts are mainly written on wooden slips, bamboo slips or silk. They are fixed and neat in shape, with a well-dense structure. The strokes are more curved and rounded than bronze inscriptions, and the fonts are more beautiful. However, it is not very different in essential connotation from oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions. It is still based on pictograms and uses pictorial sounds as the main construction method.

4. Xiaozhuan

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the writing styles of different countries were very different, which was a major obstacle to the development of economy and culture. After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, Prime Minister Li Si presided over the Qin Seal Script as the unified script for the whole country, also called Xiaozhuan. It was based on the bronze inscriptions and stone drum inscriptions, deleting the complex and simplifying it. Later, because the seal law was harsh and writing was inconvenient, it was replaced by subordinates. This set off a revolution in Chinese character writing and laid the foundation for various calligraphy schools in the future.

The most obvious change in the transformation of small seal script to large seal script is in the strokes. It changes all the right angles and hard pens of Dazhuan to rounded corners and soft pens. The font appears round and stretched, regular and lively, showing a strong sense of beauty. The structure is neat, and the writing method and position of the radicals are relatively fixed. The radicals are generally placed on the left, which promotes the further stereotyping of Chinese characters.

The small seal script deletes the complicated strokes of the large seal script and omits variant fonts. This is the first writing reform in Chinese history. Li Si's calligraphy was first-rate in the Qin Dynasty. He had a whole set of calligraphy theories: when writing, the pen should be turned quickly, and the folding should be fast, like an eagle swooping and circling. Holding the brush well is like a fish in water, and moving the brush is like flying on high mountains and clouds. The weight and relaxation of the strokes should be natural and integrated, generous and beautiful.

5. Official Script

Official Script is also called "Assistant Script". It was formed around the late Warring States Period and matured during the Han Dynasty. It is a further simplification of Xiaozhuan font. Mature official script is very close to regular script, and most people do not regard official script as ancient writing. According to legend, the official script was an emergency font commonly used by lower-level officials. Later, it was sorted out by Cheng Miao and gradually formed a unified official script font. The main script used in the Han Dynasty was the official script.

6. Regular script

Regular script, also called "official script", appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty, was further improved in the Six Dynasties, and matured in the Tang Dynasty. It is so named because the font is square and the strokes are straight, which can be used as a model text. Regular script is a simplification of official script, which is mainly reflected in two aspects: changing curves into hooks; changing twists and turns into straight lines. After the official script was improved into regular script, the beauty of the fonts was mainly reflected in the pen power and individual characteristics, which was conducive to the further development of the art of calligraphy.

Zhong Yao created a new look from official script to regular script, and he has always been considered the ancestor of Chinese calligraphy history. He was the first to establish regular script in calligraphy and made important contributions to the development of Chinese characters.

7. Cursive Script

Cursive script is a variant of regular script and was produced in the Han Dynasty. It was originally a variation caused by scrawling official script when drafting a manuscript. Later it became a popular writing method and even evolved into a pure art of calligraphy.

The cursive script during the Han Dynasty was mainly Zhang Cursive. It pays attention to the coherence of pen and ink. Words and words and strokes are interlocking. Although there are occasional interruptions, the meaning of the pen is still connected.

8. Running Script

Running script, like cursive script, originated in the Han Dynasty. It is a font between regular script and cursive script. It is simpler to write than regular script and easier to recognize than cursive script. It aims at simplicity and is highly practical and easy to popularize. It has become the first choice for people to write letters and write notes. The most representative work "Lanting Preface" by the calligrapher Wang Xizhi is known as "the best running script in the world".