Official script is the watershed between ancient and modern writing in the history of the development of Chinese characters.
Clerical script is an ancient Chinese font that originated in the Qin Dynasty and was developed and widely used in the Han Dynasty. It evolved on the basis of seal script and is characterized by square strokes, strong lines and rigorous structure. The emergence of official script filled the gap between seal script and regular script and became an important foundation for later regular script.
The glyph characteristics of official script mainly include the following aspects:
1. Square and straight: The glyphs of official script are upright and square, with thick strokes and a strong sense of verticality.
2. Flat lines: Compared with seal script, the lines of official script are flatter and do not have so many rounded curves.
3. Regular structure: The glyph structure of official script is simple and clear, the lines are usually at right angles or parallel, and the overall arrangement is orderly.
4. Simplified glyphs: Compared with seal script, official script has simplified glyphs to a certain extent, removing the complex pictographic structure in seal script and making glyphs more standardized and unified.
Clerical script was widely used in the writing of official documents and legal documents during the Qin and Han Dynasties, and gradually became the standard font for official documents and administrative agencies. Over time, official script gradually evolved into the basis of subsequent scripts such as regular script and running script, exerting a profound influence on the subsequent development of calligraphy. As a font form with a long history, official script is not only an important part of Chinese calligraphy, but also one of the unique artistic expressions of Chinese culture.
The history of Chinese characters
1. Oracle bone inscription period (14th century BC - 11th century BC): Oracle bone inscription is the earliest form of writing Chinese characters, appearing in the late Shang Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty On tortoise shells and animal bones from the period. Oracle bone inscriptions are mainly pictographic symbols and referential symbols, and are used to record sacrifices, divination and other contents.
2. Bronze Inscription Period (11th century BC - 3rd century BC): With the decline of Shang and Zhou culture, bronze inscriptions gradually replaced oracle bone inscriptions as the main writing form. The fonts of bronze inscriptions began to become more standardized, and many new font variants appeared.
3. The differentiation between simplified and traditional characters (3rd century BC - 8th century AD): The differentiation between simplified and traditional characters is an important turning point in the history of Chinese characters. After the Han Dynasty, Chinese characters gradually evolved into two forms: traditional characters and simplified characters. Traditional Chinese characters retain the complexity and cumbersomeness of glyphs, while simplified characters simplify and standardize glyphs.
4. The rise of regular script and official script (3rd century AD to 7th century AD): Regular script and official script are two important calligraphy styles in the development of Chinese characters. Regular script emerged in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and became the mainstream style of later calligraphy. Official script, as the standard font for official documents during the Qin and Han Dynasties, had an important impact on the subsequent development of calligraphy.
5. The emergence of running script and cursive script (3rd century AD - 7th century AD): Running script and cursive script are two important stages in the development of Chinese calligraphy. Running script is developed on the basis of regular script, with smooth and orderly glyphs; while cursive script is a variant of running script, with sloppy glyphs, forming a unique artistic charm.
6. Standardization of modern Chinese characters (20th century to present): At the beginning of the 20th century, China carried out a series of writing reforms to simplify and standardize Chinese characters, aiming to improve the efficiency of text input and communication. Currently, mainland China generally uses a simplified character system, while Taiwan, Hong Kong and other regions still retain a large number of traditional characters.