Oracle Bone Inscriptions → bronze inscription → seal script → official script → regular script → running script.
(Shang) (Zhou) (Qin) (Han) (Wei and Jin) (cursive)
I. Oracle Bone Inscriptions
Oracle Bone Inscriptions is carved on the bones of tortoise shells (mainly the words on the shoulder blades of cattle). It is the driest, most systematic and most mature Chinese character material we can see today. This kind of writing was discovered in the Guangxu period of the late Qing Dynasty (AD 1889) in the north and south of Xiaotun Village, Wuli Road, northwest of Anyang County, Henan Province.
trait
Slender and slender style. Because this kind of writing is limited by writing tools, the strokes are straight, sometimes just like turning around. So the font is slender, the lines are thin and hard, thin and straight, straight and thin. B the body structure has not been completely determined. How to write a word in seal cutting has not been completely fixed, and it still retains a strong color to describe objects. For example, the font can be round, the strokes can be more or less, the direction can be positive or negative, the writing can be horizontal or vertical, and the radicals can be left or right. There are many variations and combinations.
Second, Jin Wen
Bronze inscriptions are words cast on bronzes. The so-called bronze ware is a vessel made of copper and tin alloy. This kind of alloy is relatively strong and is called bronze ware because of its blue color. There are mainly musical instruments "Zhong", food containers "Yi, Zun and Jue", washing machines "Pan" and weapons "Ge and Ji".
trait
Slender and slender style. Because this kind of writing is limited by writing tools, the strokes are straight, sometimes just like turning around. So the font is slender, the lines are thin and hard, thin and straight, straight and thin. B the body structure has not been completely determined. How to write a word in seal cutting has not been completely fixed, and it still retains a strong color to describe objects. For example, the font can be round, the strokes can be more or less, the direction can be positive or negative, the writing can be horizontal or vertical, and the radicals can be left or right. There are many variations and combinations.
Third, the big seal script
1, production
The big seal is for the later small seal. In a broad sense, Da Zhuan includes Xiao Zhuan, pre-Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions and six-country scripts. The big seal script here refers to the Qin script that prevailed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. With the eastward move to Luoyang, Qin occupied the hometown of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and at the same time inherited the writing of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which was developed on the basis of inheriting the bronze inscriptions. Because of its regionality, some of them are difficult to identify.
Dazhuan, also known as Zhuan (zhòu) text. It was named after it was recorded in Shi Shuo pian. History of Han Dynasty: "Fifteen poems, printed by Mrs. Shu of Zhou Shi."
trait
Shi Guwen has a vigorous and dignified style. The font structure is neat, the strokes are even and round, horizontal and vertical, and the shape tends to be square. Da Zhuan largely retains the writing style of the late Western Zhou Dynasty, but slightly changes, making the strokes more neat and symmetrical. The strokes are round. The lines are more uniform than the bronze inscriptions, and the lines have reached a complete level, with no obvious unevenness in thickness. The body structure is more neat than the bronze inscriptions, and it began to get rid of the shackles of hieroglyphics, laying the foundation for square Chinese characters. There are few variants on the same object. The font is complex, the radicals often overlap, and writing is inconvenient.
Fourth, biographies
1, production
Xiao Zhuan is the first standardized Chinese font in China. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, after Qin Shihuang was unified, he adopted the opinion of Prime Minister Li Si, carried out the reform of "the same characters" and unified the characters. This is the first major writing reform in the history of our country.
(1) "Let it not be combined with Qin Wen" (that is, the regional script popular in the East during the Warring States Period-Six-country script)
(2) "Take the stone script and seal script, or change it to be quite restrained." That is to say, the small seal script is based on the big seal script, which simplifies the physical structure of the big seal script and changes the overlapping bedstead of the big seal script, and the complicated writing is gradually unified and stable, such as "Up: (Big) (Small)".
(3) Unify radicals with no fixed form, so that a radical has only one fixed writing method, such as "(heart), (clothes) and (water)", and determine the position of each radical in the Chinese character form, and it is not allowed to be reversed at will. The number of strokes per word is basically fixed. This makes the fonts basically uniform.
trait
A tortuous style. Xiao Zhuan is made on the basis of the circular rotation of Da Zhuan, and most of the pens are round. The corners are arc-shaped, and the twists and turns are long and even, which makes the lines more symmetrical and round, long and round in shape, and strong in body. Look at the beauty of the curve, the lines are even and smooth, both rigid and flexible. It has always been regarded as an authentic seal script. Because strokes are as round and plump as chopsticks,
It was called "jade rib seal" in ancient times. Later generations of seal writers, such as Tangshan stone carving, can write freely and have lively and vigorous characters. Li He in Southern Tang Dynasty is based on Li Si's style.
Use lines instead of graphics. Xiao Zhuan is a standard font, which is more neat and stereotyped than Da Zhuan. Instead of complicated graphics, lines are basically separated from pictures, which determines the symbolic meaning of Chinese characters. Variant characters have also been basically abolished. However, it still retains some pictographic and realistic features of Da Zhuan.
In addition, the Lian Bi of wandering lines and arcs is not clear, which is not convenient for writing. The name "seal script" did not exist at that time. It was not until the emergence of "official script" in Han Dynasty that this kind of writing was called "seal script". So seal script is relative to official script. Xiao Zhuan's mandarin is not long. It was not often used in the Han Dynasty, but for more than two thousand years, the seal has been engraved with Xiao Zhuan, which is one of the traditional arts in China.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) official script
There were two literary reforms in the Qin Dynasty. The first is to unify the characters, from big seal to small seal. The second is to use the official script scribbled by Xiao Zhuan. This is the second milestone-the development of characters gets rid of iconicity.
1, production
Lishu was born out of Xiao Zhuan. It began in the Qin Dynasty, and after the evolution of 23 1 year in the Han Dynasty (206-25 BC), it reached maturity in the Han Dynasty. Lishu is the main popular writing in Han Dynasty. In this way, official script can be divided into two stages, also known as ancient official script and modern official script.
trait
A. stippling and writing lines
Han Li copied the twists and turns of Biography with strokes such as dots and strokes. The whole font is angular and square, and the font changes from oblong to oblate. This change is called "Li Bian". This greatly got rid of the shackles of lines, broke the pictographic system of ancient Chinese characters, and made the pictograms of Chinese characters basically disappear, which laid the foundation for the current writing and turned it into a purely symbolic writing.
B. The gesture flies into the wave potential
"Swallowtail of silkworm head" is the main feature of official script. "Silkworm head" means that the pen is heavy and bald, showing Fiona Fang; "Dovetail" means that the pen tilts slightly upwards, dragging a stiff tail. If there is a horizontal painting and a flat pen, it will be provoked by waves. However, in the official script, it is emphasized that "swallows fly together", that is, in the one-word structure, only the main pen is allowed to show the front and pick out the "dovetail" shape, and all other strokes are bald, mainly square, and they will be collected as soon as they live.
Skimming should also be provoked, forming a trend of flying. The sharp tail bends slowly, and the angle is pushed up, showing wave potential.
In this way, the whole font is tightened up and down and stretched left and right, and the main pen "Silkworm Head Dovetail" runs through the word. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Han Li was also called "Eight Points", which meant that the strokes fluctuated from side to side and dispersed from side to side like the shape of eight characters.
Li Shu, whether flat or flying, looks more stable than the scale book because of its flat font. The appearance of official script is a major reform and a turning point in the development of Chinese characters, ending the era of ancient Chinese characters and creating a new era of modern Chinese characters, which is of epoch-making significance.
Six, regular script
Regular script is also called "true script" or "official script". Kaimo means regular, neat and exemplary, which means that this font can be used as French, exemplary, that is, standard font.
1, production
Regular script is evolved from official script. It flourished in the late Han Dynasty and in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Until now, it is still the standard font of Chinese characters, with a history of nearly 2000 years.
Zhong You, a calligrapher of the Three Kingdoms in the Eastern Han Dynasty and Wei Dynasty, wrote "How to Solve the Table" in small letters, although he still didn't get rid of the official script. But it is the earliest regular script seen today, and it is a typical work of transition from official script to regular script. Its main horizontal painting has lost the characteristics of "swallow-tail of silkworm head", and it has become a sharp trend to brush off the pen, but there is still a legacy of official script. Some paintings are still fluttering like waves. Head-skimming is still flying right in Zuo Fei. Wang Xizhi, known as the "sage of books" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, wrote Huang Tingjian and Le Yi in small letters, which changed the brushwork of proper limit after Zhong You changed Han Li into regular script. The clock book is still a wave choice, the front is folded and the body is completely self-reliant. He still uses the fonts and glyphs he created.
Weibei is a regular script gradually evolved on the basis of Han Li. Although it is regular script, it combines the situation and meaning of seal script, and the grass feeling in the tone is wonderful. For example, The Stone Statue, the representative work of He Wei Bei, is angular, vigorous and simple. All stippling is generous, fat but not stiff, showing vigorous momentum and elegant style, with masculine beauty.
, characteristics
Regular script font is really quite big. Although the basic structure of this font is the same as that of Han Li, it is a transformation of official script, which absorbs the advantages of symmetrical and clear structure of official script, changes the brushwork of official script or simplifies it appropriately.
Physically, Han Li pushes outward, presenting a flat square with a figure of eight. Regular script concentrates inward to form an "eternal" square.
In terms of strokes, Li Shu's strokes were developed, such as horizontal strokes and vertical hooks. For example, Han Li and the pie are slowly curved, the tail is not tapering, and sometimes it is tilted; Micro hook; The characters in regular script are oblique and sharp, and they don't pick or hook. Especially in horizontal painting, regular script does not have the wave potential of "silkworm head dovetail" Han Li ups and downs, regular script is smooth.
Regular script goes further than official script in getting rid of the graphic meaning of ancient Chinese characters. It is a block symbol composed of complete strokes. As a massive Chinese character, it has been shaped since then.
Regular script printing: various variants commonly used in printing,
Song style, horizontal fine vertical thick-universal printing;
Imitation of Song Dynasty, regardless of thickness, beautiful-preface;
Regular script, the main body of poetry is regular script, close to handwriting, more full than imitation of Song Dynasty-popular reading materials, small print textbooks;
Bold and solemn-title.
Seven, cursive script
Cursive script is generally a more cursive font than formal font. Broadly speaking, since the emergence of Chinese characters, when seal script prevailed, there was a corresponding cursive script. However, "cursive script" became a proper name of a font after the Eastern Han Dynasty, which was divided into three types: Cao Zhang, Near-body Grass and Crazy Grass.
Cao Zhang 1
It is the cursive script of official script. According to legend, in the Western Han Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, you created the tomb of Liu and Huangmen. Now his "urgent chapter" is circulating, and its chapter is called "Cao Zhang". The strokes are often grass, with Lian Bi. This wave of official script still exists, but the characters are independent and unconnected. The strokes are clearly defined and the layout is symmetrical, and writing is much simpler and faster than official script. For example, Suo Jing, a calligrapher in the Western Jin Dynasty, wrote Ode to a Teacher with a calm, vigorous, lively and clever pen. It is a standard official cursive script and has always been regarded as authentic calligraphy.
2. This kind of grass
It is a continuation of Cao Zhang, and it is a quick stroke of regular script. It has been circulated since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Today's grass, the body is continuous, in one go Although occasionally disconnected, but the blood continues. Every word looks around, echoing from afar, throughout. This kind of grass is flexible, smooth, simple and quick to write. But it is often difficult to identify. For example, Wang Xizhi's seventeen posts are euphemistic, broad and vivid. All previous dynasties regarded cursive script as a masterpiece and a written law (standard).
3. weeds
It is on the basis of this grass that you can add and subtract strokes at will and write at will. It flourished in the Tang Dynasty. The strokes of weeds are endless, and the last stroke of the last word is often connected with the first stroke of the next word. Even the figures are mixed up, and some of them have changed a lot. It can be said that it is arbitrary, unrestrained, difficult to identify, and of little practical significance. However, there is a wild style in calligraphy art, such as Zhang Xu and Huai Su in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which are called "zhangyan drunk element" or "Zhang Zhang crazy element". Zhang Xu's four poems and Huai Su's self-narrative posts are continuous in style and bold in brushwork, giving people a cheerful and changeable feeling. This kind of wild grass is the expression of pursuing pure art and expressing one's feelings.
Generally speaking, cursive script uses two or three strokes to draw more than ten characters in regular script, which is highly simplified and can achieve the purpose of writing quickly, which has certain progressive significance.
Eight, running script
It is a font between modern grass and regular script. It began after the appearance of regular script, flourished in Wei and Jin Dynasties, and became popular in Jin Dynasty. It is still the most widely used font in handwriting.
The advantage of using cursive script in style and style is that cursive script is cursive script. Be close to models without formality, and be close to grass without arrogance. Those close to regular script are called "running script" and those close to cursive script are called "running script".
Running script simplifies the strokes of regular script and adopts cursive continuous strokes. The strokes are continuous and independent, clear and easy to recognize. Writing efficiency is high, and it becomes an auxiliary font for regular script. For example, Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Lanting Pavilion is very charming and elegant. In addition, as a monument, The Preface to the Sacred Religion was condensed by Huairen, a monk of Zhangfu Temple in Chang 'an in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, from the ink of Wang Xizhi's running script collected in the Tang Dynasty. This move has been used for more than 20 years, and the selection of characters is Wang Shu's best work, which is beautifully reproduced and cherished by all dynasties. Another example is Li's Monument to General Yunhui in the Tang Dynasty, which highlights with a pen and wins by danger. The horizontal pen is obviously inclined to the upper right (lower left and upper right). Although it draws lessons from the holy teaching order, it is better than the Jin people, so it is different. In the Song Dynasty, calligraphers such as Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and Cai Xiang appeared.
In the evolution of Chinese characters, the transition between the two fonts is not the convergence, inheritance and ups and downs of the old and the new. But the old and the new are overlapping, parallel and gradually changing. In the former popular form, a new formal structure that is more suitable for practical needs has sprouted and finally replaced the former font, occupying a dominant position.
From Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty to the bronze inscriptions in Zhou Dynasty, to the big seal script and unified seal script in Qin Dynasty, to the official script in Han Dynasty and the regular script after Wei and Jin Dynasties, this is the mainstream of the evolution of Chinese characters. The cursive script after official script and the running script after regular script are two branches of this evolution.
Oracle Bone Inscriptions → bronze inscriptions → seal script → official script → regular script.
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(chapter) cursive script
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Grass (now)
After the invention of printing, in order to meet the needs of printing, especially the printing of books and periodicals, characters gradually developed in the direction suitable for printing, and a horizontal, vertical and square printing font-Song Style appeared. It originated in the Song Dynasty in the golden age of block printing and was shaped in the Ming Dynasty, so I called it "Ming Style". Songti is the main font used in publishing and printing, because it is suitable for printing and engraving and people's visual requirements when reading.
Computer font
With the development of culture and science and technology, under the influence of western writing style, many new fonts have appeared, such as bold and artistic fonts. , have appeared, such as poster (POP) style, comprehensive art style, pavilion style, girl font, etc. , and more genre variants, such as imitation song, Pingsong and so on. Moreover, all kinds of Chinese characters are computerized, and the scope of application is wider.