Seal script is a common font name in ancient China. The so-called seal script originally refers to the standard font determined by Li Si and others in the Qin Dynasty, namely Xiao Zhuan. Duan Yucai, a writer in Qing Dynasty, made a bet on "seal script": "Li Si wrote it as seal script, Shi Shu wrote it as big seal script, and big seal script was also called small seal script." What Duan said is credible, that is, Xiao Zhuan was originally called seal script. Later, Qin people respected the font before Xiao Zhuan as Da Zhuan, so Li Si was called Xiao Zhuan. Xu Shen's Preface to Explaining Words in the Eastern Han Dynasty records: "Shu Qin has eight styles: one is Da Zhuan, and the other is Xiao Zhuan ..." And it is said that the selection and recording of low-level clerical officials in the Qin Dynasty have to pass the test of eight styles. It can be seen that the names of Da Zhuan and Xiao Zhuan were established in the Qin Dynasty, so the word "seal script" became a general term for both. In order to distinguish it from Da Zhuan, later generations also called Xiao Zhuan "Qin Zhuan". For example, the Seven Laws written by Liu Xin at the end of the Western Han Dynasty called the biography "Qin Zhuan". Ban Gu's Records of Han Shu Literature and Art in the Eastern Han Dynasty also said: Cang Xie and other three works written by Li Si. , "the words are mostly stone parallel, but the seal script is very different, so the so-called Qin Zhuan is also". "Book" means writing. General handwriting is called "book", such as regular script, official script and cursive script; Printing fonts are called "style", such as "Song Style" and "Imitation Song Style". There are also "official script" and "regular script" because official script and regular script are also commonly used printing fonts. Song Dynasty was developed by printing (but it was actually developed in the Ming Dynasty, not in the Song Dynasty), so I have never heard the expression "Song Shu". It is difficult to realize seal script in printing. Although it was used in ancient times for a period of time, after the invention of relatively formed printing, the prevailing fonts have always been official script and regular script, and seal script is mainly written by literati as a calligraphy art. I don't think I have seen any books printed with seal script in ancient times. It is also very difficult to realize seal script on computer. You GF said that there is no seal script, probably because there is no seal script in general computer software now. But in fact, seal script has been developed. At /down/5624.html, you can download seal fonts such as "Super Century Fine Printing and Complex Seal Style", and at /shufa/index.asp, you can input some characters at will and convert them into seal characters.
Perhaps there was an era when there was no seal script, but with the successful development of these fonts, that era has become a thing of the past.