The evolution sequence of Chinese characters is roughly Oracle-Bronze Inscription-Seal Script-Official Script-Regular Script-Cursive Script-Running Script.
1. Introduction to oracle bone inscriptions
1. Introduction: Oracle bone inscriptions are written on turtle shells and animal bones (mainly on the ox shoulder blades). It is the most complete system of quite mature Chinese character materials we can see today.
2. Formation: The oracle bone inscriptions were discovered in the Guangxu period of the late Qing Dynasty, north of Xiaotun Village, Wuli Road, northwest of Anyang County, Henan Province, and south of the Huan River. This place was the site of the capital of the Yin and Shang dynasties, and it was the capital until the fall of King Zhou. Therefore, we know that oracle bone inscriptions are written in the Yin and Shang Dynasties and have a history of about 3,000 years.
2. Introduction to Bronze Inscriptions
1. Introduction: Bronze Inscriptions is the name of a calligraphy style in ancient China. It refers to the inscriptions cast on bronzes of the Yin, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Also called Zhong Dingwen. The Shang and Zhou dynasties were the age of bronzes. The ritual vessels of bronzes were represented by tripods, and the musical instruments were represented by bells. "Zhongding" is synonymous with bronzes.
2. Formation: The earliest oracle bone inscriptions disappeared with the death of the Yin Dynasty, and bronze inscriptions took their place, becoming the mainstream of calligraphy in the Zhou Dynasty. Because they were cast on bells and tripods, they are sometimes called bell and tripod inscriptions. According to expert inspections, bronze inscriptions similar to pictures were engraved on bronze vessels in the Shang Dynasty. This continued to evolve, and by the end of the Shang Dynasty, the inscriptions were also consistent with oracle bone inscriptions.
3. Seal script
1. Introduction: Seal script is a font of Chinese characters. Seal script refers to the shape of bamboo; Tuan refers to the collection of pigs; pigs are the shape of elephants. Seal script is a calligraphy style with strong pictographic character; it is the font before official script. Seal script is divided into large seal script and small seal script.
2. Formation: During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Qin State once used Zhouwen. Later, the province changed and simplified it, and gradually evolved into Xiaozhuan. After Qin Shihuang unified the country, in order to eliminate the phenomenon of irregular characters in the Warring States Period, he ordered Li Si, Zhao Gao, Hu Wujing and others to further organize the Xiaozhuan script and make it a standard character that can be used throughout the country.
IV. Official script
1. Introduction: Official script, including Qin Li, Han Li, etc., is generally believed to have developed from seal script. The characters are mostly wide and flat, and the horizontal strokes are long and vertical. The paintings are short and pay attention to "silkworm head and swallow tail" and "twists and turns".
2. Formation: According to the unearthed slips, the official script was founded in the Qin Dynasty. It is said that Cheng Miao was the official. The Han official script reached its peak in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It inherited the tradition of seal script and opened up the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The influence of calligraphy in later generations cannot be underestimated. In the calligraphy circle, it is known as "Han Li Tang Kai".
5. Regular script
1. Introduction: Regular script is also called Zhengkai, Zhenshu and Zhengshu. It gradually evolved from the official script and became more simplified, horizontal and vertical. "Cihai" explains that it has "a square shape and straight strokes, which can be used as a model." This kind of Chinese character font is correct and is the modern traditional handwritten Chinese character. Regular script is commonly used in modern society, but it has not been completely finalized.
2. Formation: Regular script gradually evolved from Han Li. Regular script was the most popular calligraphy style in my country’s feudal society from the Northern and Southern Wei to the Jin and Tang Dynasties. Before the emergence of regular script, my country's calligraphy had produced three calligraphy styles: large seal script, small seal script and official script.
6. Cursive Script
1. Introduction: Cursive script has two meanings: broad and narrow. Broadly speaking, regardless of age, all scrawled words are counted as cursive writing. In a narrow sense, that is, as a specific font, it was formed in the Han Dynasty and evolved on the basis of official script for the convenience of writing.
2. Formation: Early cursive script was a script parallel to official script, generally called official script. In fact, it was mixed with some seal cursive styles. At the end of the Han Dynasty, Zhangcao was further "cursed", removing the traces of official script strokes and making the upper and lower characters interconnected. The radicals were also simplified and borrowed from each other, which was called "Jincao".
7. Running Script
1. Introduction: Running script is a general term for calligraphy, which is divided into two types: running regular script and running cursive script. It was developed on the basis of regular script and is a font between regular script and cursive script. It was created to make up for the slow writing speed of regular script and the difficulty of identifying cursive script.
2. Formation: Running script is a calligraphy style between regular script and cursive script, which appeared around the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The name of running script first appeared in the article "Four Body Scripts" written by Wei Heng in the Western Jin Dynasty.
With the vigorous development of contemporary calligraphy art, the exploration and innovation of running script creation has set off wave after wave of craze, showing a diverse and prosperous scene.