Official script originated in the Qin Dynasty and was compiled by Cheng Miao. It reached its peak during the Eastern Han Dynasty and was replaced by regular script at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Tracing the origin and development history of official script:
1. Qin Li
In the process of "writing with the same text", Qin Shihuang ordered Li Si to create Xiaozhuan. Adopted the official script compiled by Cheng Miao. Xu Shen of the Han Dynasty recorded this period of history in "Shuowen Jiezi": "...the Qin Dynasty burned scriptures, purged the old scriptures, sent out a large number of officials and troops, established military garrison, and had many official and prison duties. It was first written as official script to keep the agreement. easy". Since Xiaozhuan, the official script, is written slowly, the official script changes circles into square folds, which improves writing efficiency. Guo Moruo commented on its importance by saying "Qin Shihuang's greatest achievement in reforming writing was the adoption of official script" ("The Era of Slavery·The Development of Corrective Writing in Ancient Writing")
2. Han Li
In the early Western Han Dynasty, the style of Qin Li was still followed. In the Xinmang period, major changes began to occur, and the stippling wave tail writing method was produced. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, official script had developed many styles and left a large number of stone carvings. "Zhang Qian Stele" and "Cao Quan Stele" are representative works of this period.
Han Li has the beauty of waves and zhe (zhe) in its strokes. The so-called "wave" means that the strokes on the left are like curved waves, which in later regular scripts are turned into left strokes; the so-called "甔" means that the strokes on the right are open, like a "swallow tail" stroke. When writing long horizontal strokes, the strokes should start against the front and cut in like a "silkworm's head". The strokes in the middle should have a wave and pitch, and the strokes should have a tail at the end. In this way, when using the pen, all the methods of square, round, hidden and exposed are all ready, and the strokes are flying and the posture is graceful. Structurally, there is the vertical rectangular shape of Xiaozhuan, which first becomes square, and then becomes horizontally flat and square. Han Li has a majestic, strict, yet flexible and flexible style. The reform of official script to seal script includes two aspects: strokes and structure. The method of transformation is to change the circle into a square. Make the curve straight. Correct broken strokes. Reduce stroke structure and so on. Among them, taking the horizontal position and retaining the natural writing state of the brush are the most important. The potential energy is taken laterally to write left and right, and the up and down movement is restricted. Finally, the eight-point stroke technique of sweeping left and picking right was formed. The softness of the brush makes the strokes of Chinese characters appear thick and round. Various changes such as hiding dew. There is also wide kerning. Narrow spacing is also a major feature of its composition.
Han Li is exquisitely represented in silk paintings, lacquerware, portraits, and mirrors. And its broad momentum and unique charm are even more evident in the inscriptions. There are two main forms of Han Li: stone carvings and bamboo slips. Most of the official scripts in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were mixed with regular script; in the Tang Dynasty, there were many official scripts written by calligraphers such as Xu Hao. The official script of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties could not revive the glory of the Han Dynasty. Until the Qing Dynasty. Han Li was able to recover. There are Yu Nong, Deng Shiru, He Shaoji, etc., who have made outstanding achievements. In the early Western Han Dynasty, the style of Qin Li was still followed. In the Xinmang period, major changes began to occur, and the writing method of pointillism and wave tail was produced. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, official script had developed many styles and left a large number of stone carvings. "Zhang Qian Stele", "Yi Ying Stele" and "Cao Quan Stele" are representative works of this period.
The second peak of official script
After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, cursive script, running script, and regular script formed and developed rapidly. Although official script was not abandoned, it changed little and a new style emerged. Longer periods of silence. In the Qing Dynasty, official script once again received attention during the revival of stele studies. Famous calligraphers such as Zheng Xie and Jin Nong appeared and innovated on the basis of inheriting Han official script.