It is not only the cultural treasure of the Chinese nation, but also unique in the treasure house of world culture and art.
In the long historical evolution and development, on the one hand, Chinese characters play an important social role in the exchange of ideas and cultural heritage, on the other hand, they also form a unique plastic arts.
According to modern textual research, regarding the origin of China characters, it is generally believed that characters were created in the "Yangshao Culture Period" in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in China about five or six thousand years ago.
Yangshao culture was named after it was first discovered in Yangshao Village, Shengshan, Henan Province in 192 1.
In the past 40 years, there have been many discoveries.
There are three kinds of characters of all nationalities in the world, namely ideographic characters; Ideographic characters; Recording.
Chinese characters are typical ideographs developed on the basis of ideographs.
The method of pictographic writing is to draw the real thing.
While painting tends to be more simplified and abstract, becoming a symbol that highlights the physical characteristics, representing a certain meaning and having a certain pronunciation ... Our Chinese characters have gradually taken shape, from pictures and symbols to creation and stereotypes, from ancient China seal script to small seal script, from seal script to official script, regular script and cursive script.
In the process of writing and application of Chinese characters, the unique and independent calligraphy art of all nationalities in the world has gradually emerged.
China's calligraphy art began in the generation stage of Chinese characters. "Voice can't spread in different places, but stay in different times, so words were born.
Therefore, the author is the trace of meaning and sound.
"So, the text is produced.
The earliest works of calligraphy art are not words, but some descriptive symbols-hieroglyphics or picture words.
Symbols depicting Chinese characters first appeared on pottery.
The primitive depiction symbol only represents a rough concept of chaos and has no exact meaning.
More than 8,000 years ago, magnetic mountain culture, Fiji and Khan Lee cultures appeared in the Yellow River Basin. There are many symbols on the handmade ceramics unearthed in Fiji and Khan Lee, which are the chaotic combination of the communication function, note-taking function and pattern decoration function of the ancestors. Although these are not real Chinese characters, they are indeed the embryonic forms of Chinese characters.
Immediately after the Banpo site of Yangshao culture about 6000 years ago, some painted pottery with similar characters were unearthed.
These symbols are distinguished from patterns, which promotes the development of Chinese characters.
This can be said to be the origin of China characters.
Then Erlitou culture and Erligang culture.
In the archaeological excavation of Erlitou culture, there are 24 kinds of marked pottery pieces, some of which are similar to Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yin Ruins, and all of them are single independent characters.
Erligang culture was found to have a writing system.
Three bones with words were found here, two with words and a cross, which seemed to be carved for practicing lettering.
This has made civilization take another big step forward.
The origin of primitive characters is an imitation instinct, which is used to visualize a specific thing.
Although it is simple and chaotic, it already has a certain aesthetic taste.
This simple writing can therefore be called prehistoric calligraphy.
China's calligraphy has a long history, which can be roughly divided into five types: seal script (big seal script, small seal script), official script, regular script, running script and cursive script (chapter and present grass).
(1) seal script: there was a big seal before the small seal. As early as more than 60 years ago, symbols carved on pottery and pictures depicting objects had the embryonic form of words, and then in the long development, hieroglyphics (pictures) came into being. Three thousand years ago, the characters carved on tortoise shell bones in Shang Dynasty, that is, "Oracle Bone Inscriptions" calligraphy, were thin and straight.
From the unearthed Oracle Bone Inscriptions, jade tablets and pottery tablets, we can get a glimpse of the characteristics of writing with brush at that time. Inscriptions cast on bronze wares such as bells, ding, money and weapons in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, called "Bronze inscriptions" or "Zhong Dingwen", became more and more neat and varied, and were carved on the reed in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
In 22 1 BC, Qin Shihuang unified China, abolished six foreign languages and simplified the unified font, which was later called "Xiao Zhuan". The font is slightly long and neat, and the strokes are round and beautiful.
(2) Official script: It is said that official script was compiled by Cheng Miao who was not in the prison of Qin Dynasty. By eliminating complexity and simplifying, the font becomes round and square, and the strokes become straight. Changing "Lian Bi" into "broken pen" and changing lines into strokes will make it easier to write. This kind of writing is popular among "officials" (small officials at lower levels), so it is called official script. In the Han Dynasty, the foundation of regular script was laid. The structure of official script is flat, neat and exquisite. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, stippling was beautified as upward provocation to varying degrees, which enhanced the aesthetic feeling of the plastic arts of calligraphy, with diverse styles and greatly improved the artistic appreciation value.
(3) Regular script: Regular script, also known as "official script" and "original script", evolved from official script and became more simplified. The font is changed from flat to square, the strokes are simplified, horizontal and vertical, and it is characterized by regularity and neatness. Therefore, it is called regular script, which has been used ever since. Regular script prevailed in the Six Dynasties and flourished in the Tang Dynasty.
(4) Running script: Running script is a quick writing of regular script. It is said that it began in the Han Dynasty, and there was no neat regular script and no draft of cursive script. Regular script or running script close to regular script is called "running script", and cursive script or running script close to cursive script is called "running script".
(5) Cursive script: Cursive script is a kind of cursive script, which is characterized by simple structure, partial borrowing and no scribbling. The feature of cursive script is that the artistic appreciation value is greater than the practical value. Generally speaking, it can be divided into two types: Cao Zhang and Cao Cao. Cao Zhang is a simple and quick writing style of official script, and each word is independent and unrelated. Cao Cao is a shortcut to write regular script, and it is a shortcut to write regular script. There is often a connection between the action and the trace of strokes up and down.
Several representatives in italics:
Yan Zhenqing, the originator of Yan's calligraphy, started a new style of China's calligraphy with dignified regular script and vigorous calligraphy.
Regular script, which originated from ancient Li, is based on the style of two kings and the style of northern school in the Six Dynasties. They are unique in structure, unique in originality, authoritative and influential in society, and are the standard for learning books.
Investigating the characteristics of regular script, the pen is strong and powerful, the strokes are neat and tidy, and the structure is cheerful and healthy.
His representative works of regular script inscriptions include "Jiuchenggong Liquan Ming" and "Huadu Temple Monument".
Liu Gongquan, with clear pronunciation and mellow voice, was eager to learn from childhood and could write at the age of twelve. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, he inherited Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy and created "Liu Ti", hence the name "Yan Gu".
Zhao Mengfu was an influential calligrapher in the early Yuan Dynasty.
"Biography of the History of Yuan Dynasty" records: "Meng Yi's calligraphy is the best in the world, so the book is the theme of the world."
Praise.
According to Song Lian, a scholar, Zhao's calligraphy learned Lingling's Eight Intellectuals in his early years, Zhong You and Fairy in his middle years and books in his later years.
In addition, he also visited Dingding Monument in Yuan and Wei Dynasties, Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang in Tang Dynasty, which was a great achievement of predecessors.
Yu Shinan's regular script, elegant and graceful, inherited the legacy of the wise and brave Zen master and was the clique of the Wang school.
Although it originated in Wei and Jin Dynasties, its softness on the outside and rigidity on the inside swept away the cowardice of Wei and Jin calligraphy style.
His masterpiece in regular script is Confucius Temple Monument.
Chu Suiliang's regular script is famous for its sparseness and strength. Although he is the ancestor of the right army, he can win its charm.
Its font structure seems very bold and unrestrained, but it can skillfully reconcile the quiet style and create an unprecedented situation. His masterpiece in regular script is Preface to the Sermon of Yanta.