The application time of bronze inscriptions is about 1200 years, from the early Shang Dynasty to the Qin Dynasty's destruction of the Six Kingdoms. According to Rong Geng's Jin Wen Bian, there are 3,722 inscriptions, of which 2,420 can be identified. Bronze inscription is a kind of writing carved on a bronze bell or tripod. Bronze inscriptions originated in Shang Dynasty and prevailed in Zhou Dynasty. They were developed on the basis of Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Because it is engraved on the Zhong Ding, it is sometimes called Zhong Dingwen. According to statistics, there are about 3,005 words on inscriptions on bronze, of which 1804 are known, slightly more than Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Bronze inscriptions inherited from Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and began with Xiao Zhuan in Qin Dynasty. Most of the books circulated are engraved on Zhong Ding, so they can preserve the original text better than Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and the style is simple. Jinwen has made great contributions to the further development of calligraphy in terms of brushwork, word formation and composition.
Two characteristics:
Bronze inscriptions, also known as Zhong Dingwen. Because most bronzes have commemorative value, the current writers are more careful. Compared with Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions are more like decorations. According to the study of unearthed inscriptions on bronze, inscriptions on bronze can be divided into three periods: the early period was King Wu, King Cheng and Kang Wang. At that time, there were not many inscriptions on bronze, but the characters were wide and the brushwork was vigorous. The middle period is the period of Zhao Haoqi and Mu Wang. At this time, there are fewer artifacts and the inscriptions have not changed much. Compared with the previous period, the characters are evenly matched, but not as strong as the style. In the later period of inscriptions on bronze, the fat body has gradually disappeared, and the fonts are dense and square, which is very beautiful. The words engraved on the bronzes are called "Bronze Inscriptions", also known as "Zhong Dingwen". There are few words on bronzes in Shang Dynasty, but there are long inscriptions on bronzes in Western Zhou Dynasty, which record the important political activities of nobles in Zhou Dynasty, such as enfeoffment, sacrifice and war. Compared with Oracle Bone Inscriptions, Oracle Bone Inscriptions has thin strokes, more straight strokes and more twists, which is different from Fang Bi. Bronze brush strokes are fat and thick, with many curved pens and many lumps.
According to the excavation of the site, there were no inscriptions on the sacrificial vessels of Shang Dynasty before Pan Geng moved to Yin, but after Pan Geng moved to Yin, inscriptions began to appear in small quantities, usually only one or two words. Inscriptions have patterns and strong decorative significance. Typical fat pens are totem and national emblem symbols. "These words or synonymous inscriptions are often engraved in conspicuous places such as the inner wall and bottom of objects, and their positions are hidden. Of course, they do not undertake the main functions." In the late Shang Dynasty, the number of inscriptions began to increase, but most of them were dozens of crosses. It is worth noting that the content reflected in the bronze inscriptions in this period is only limited to ancestor worship, and it is far from the general level of Oracle Bone Inscriptions, who lives in the ideological center and permeates all fields of social life. As a result, the bronze inscriptions in the whole Yin and Shang Dynasties were in a vassal position dominated by Oracle Bone Inscriptions.