There is not much difference between Chu's writing in the Western Zhou Dynasty and other countries in the Central Plains. Gong Chu Jia Zhong's inscriptions are similar in style to those in Zongzhou, with vigorous momentum, regularity and slight twists and turns. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the mid-Warring States Period, Chu's characters gradually tended to be slender, with thin and consistent strokes, neat and beautiful arrangement, smooth strokes and free and unrestrained style. Such as Wang Sun, Wang Sun's legacy clock, Chu Wang, writing Bo. From the comparison of the inscriptions of chimes unearthed in Wang Ziwu Ding from No.2 Chu Tomb in Sixia and No.2 Tomb in Dadian, Shandong Province (Figure 1), we can find that Chu characters are slightly worm-shaped and are the embryonic form of worm books. After the mid-Warring States period, bamboo and silk dominated, and bronze inscriptions were also influenced by it. The font tends to be flat, the body posture is simple, the horizontal pen holds its head high, the head is thick and the tail is thin, and some wave-potential picking methods have taken shape in later generations. Such as Jiangling Wangshan Tianxingguan bamboo slips, Jingmen Baoshan bamboo slips and Changsha Chu bamboo slips. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, on the basis of seal script, bird-shaped decoration was added to make the characters artistic, which is the origin of the so-called "bird seal script". For example, the inscription * * * of the fish of the king of Chu has six characters, all of which are bird-shaped, full of interest, showing the special love of the Chu people for birds. Related to this, the Chu people have made great achievements in seal cutting (Figure 2, "Lengxian" seal). Chu characters are physically related to ancient Chinese characters in the Central Plains, but they are not the same as the "ancient seal system" in which Oracle Bone Inscriptions, inscriptions and seal scripts in the Central Plains come down in one continuous line. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Chu people independently created many new characters according to their own life and language characteristics. For example, it can be seen in the "poly" of copper shells (also known as ant nose money); Found in the bamboo slips of Chu in Jiangling Mountain, Xie; It is found in the tendrils of Chu silks and Jin Ming; The word "Dai" found in Chu bamboo slips and inscriptions is not found in other countries, nor in the ancient seal script of the previous generation, which breaks through the scope of ancient Chinese characters in the Central Plains. Although these new words are difficult for modern people to interpret, they must vividly record the original language of Chu people and show their spirit of change and creative consciousness.
As the Chu people first invented the writing brush (Figure 3), it not only made the appearance of silk books and bamboo slips possible, but also promoted the evolution of the font itself. 1954 A brush made of rabbit hair was found in a Chu tomb in Changsha in the middle of the Warring States Period. Writing with a brush is easier and more flexible than the previous knife engraving, thus promoting the innovation of fonts. So the official script was first conceived in Chu characters. For example, the last stroke of the word "b" in Jiangling Chu bamboo slips obviously has the wave of official script; In addition, the word "Yue" is written in the form of official script, and the next stroke on the right indicates the choice of official script.
Function words are a dialect commonly used in Chu State, and almost become an important symbol of the language form of Chu Ci. Words such as Xi and some. Reading often has a sense of sadness, forming a unique charm of Chu Ci, which can be said to be a sign of the external form of Chu Ci.