1. Xiao Zhuan
China characters developed to the stage of Xiao Zhuan, and gradually began to finalize the outline, strokes and structure. The pictographic meaning is weakened, which makes the characters more symbolic and reduces the confusion and difficulty of writing and human reading. This is also the product of the first large-scale use of administrative means to standardize writing in the history of China.
2. Official script
Although the seal script is a relatively neat rectangle and its structure is composed of even and round lines, it is quite inconvenient to write and the font is more complicated. Due to various shortcomings, a new type of font appeared quickly among the people, which used square folds to write the dignified, neat, round and curved lines of Xiao Zhuan. It is said that this font was very popular among lower-level officials, craftsmen and slaves at that time, so it was called "official script".
3. cursive script
Cursive script is a scribbled and fast font. Cursive script is a simple font used to assist official script, which is mainly used for drafting manuscripts and communication. During the formation of cursive script, government assistants and historians often need to use drafting documents, which affects the circulation of cursive script.
After entering the Eastern Han Dynasty, after the processing of literati and calligraphers, cursive script has a more regular and rigorous shape, which can be used in some official occasions, called "Cao Zhang", which has a little taste of official script and retains the strokes and brushwork of official script. Because cursive script is too simple and easy to be confused with each other, it cannot replace official script as the main font.
4. Running script
Running script is a font between regular script and cursive script, which is neither neat nor bold. If regular script is like a person sitting and cursive running, then running script is a person walking, because running script is more casual and faster than regular script, and unlike cursive script, it is the most popular among people.
Running script has no strict writing rules. If it is written regularly and close to regular script, it is called true line or regular script. A little indulgence, cursive script is called cursive script, which is faster than regular script and not as difficult to distinguish people as cursive script, so it has high practical value.
5. Regular script
From the perspective of font structure, regular script is similar to official script, but it changes the writing method of official script strokes, from flat official script to basic square regular script, which is called "square character". Regular script is also called official script and original script, which shows that regular script is a regular script for people to learn and use.
The earliest regular script writer was Zhong You in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In his handed down works, the brushwork of official script is still reserved. Regular script experienced many changes in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and was basically finalized after Sui and Tang Dynasties. After the script is finalized, it is quite exquisite and rigorous in strokes and structure, such as the works of Ou Yangxun, a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty.