After Qin Shihuang unified China (22 1 year ago), Xiao Zhuan implemented the policy of "writing is similar, cars are on the same track", and Prime Minister Li Si was responsible for the unified measurement. On the basis of the original script of the Qin Dynasty's Da Zhuan, Xiao Zhuan simplified it, canceled the other six scripts, and created a unified Chinese writing form. It was popular in China until the end of the Western Han Dynasty (about 8 AD) and was gradually replaced by official script. But because of its beautiful font, it has always been favored by calligraphers. Moreover, seal cutting can be added at will because of its complex strokes, peculiar forms and twists and turns, especially for official seals that need anti-counterfeiting. Until the demise of the feudal dynasty, modern new anti-counterfeiting technologies appeared. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Chinese characters in different countries were different in simplicity and complexity. After Qin Shihuang destroyed the Six Kingdoms, he ordered the Qin Dynasty's Biography as the standard to unify the national characters. Seal script, also known as "seal script", is a combination of small seal script and big seal script. Because it is customary to call seal script "big seal script", later generations often refer to it exclusively. Chinese characters developed to the stage of Xiao seal script, and gradually began to shape (outline, strokes, structure). The pictographic meaning is weakened, which makes the characters more symbolic and reduces the confusion and difficulty in writing and reading. This is also the product of the first large-scale use of administrative means to standardize writing in the history of China. The Qin Dynasty unified the national characters with the sorted seal script, which not only basically eliminated the phenomenon of different lines of characters in different places, but also greatly changed the situation of different fonts in ancient Chinese, and played an important role in the development history of China characters.
The characteristics of seal script:
One is a rectangle, in which the square regular script is one and a half characters, one character is straight and one character is vertical, and the approximate ratio is about 3:2.
Second, the strokes are horizontal and vertical, round and even, and the thickness is basically the same. All horizontal and vertical paintings are equidistant and parallel, and all strokes are mainly round, and the circle is round and square, which makes the circle lively and interesting.
Third, balance and symmetry. The division, balance and symmetry of space are the unique charm of seal script. Symmetry exists not only in left-right symmetry and up-down symmetry, but also in local symmetry of characters and left-right oblique symmetry of circular strokes.
Fourth, tighten up and loosen up. Of course, there are also characters with no feet below. The main strokes are in the lower part, and the upper strokes can be raised.