After Qin Shihuang unified China, Xiao Zhuan implemented the policy of "same script, same train, same track, unified measurement". Prime Minister Reese is in charge of this matter. On the basis of the original script of Dazhuan, Qin simplified it, canceled the variant characters of other six countries and created a unified writing form of Chinese characters.
It was popular in China until the end of the Western Han Dynasty (about 8 AD) and was gradually replaced by official script. But because of its beautiful font, it has always been favored by calligraphers.
Writing style characteristics
Big seal script refers to inscriptions on bronze inscriptions, bronzes and six-country scripts, which retain the obvious characteristics of ancient hieroglyphics. Xiao Zhuan, also known as "Qin Zhuan", is a commonly used character in Qin State and a simplified font of Da Zhuan, which is characterized by uniform and neat glyphs and is easier to write than Wen Shu. In the development history of Chinese characters, it is the transition between seal script and official script.
In the late Western Zhou Dynasty, Chinese characters developed into Da Zhuan. The development of seal script has produced two characteristics: first, the lines with uneven thickness in the early days became even and soft, and the lines they drew with utensils were very concise and vivid; Second, standardization, the glyph structure tends to be neat, and gradually deviates from the original shape of the picture, laying the foundation for the square characters. The big seal is for the later small seal.
In a broad sense, Da Zhuan includes Xiao Zhuan, pre-Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions and six-country scripts. The big seal script here refers to the Qin script that prevailed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. With the eastward move to Luoyang, Qin occupied the hometown of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and at the same time inherited the writing of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which was developed on the basis of inheriting the bronze inscriptions. Regional, some are difficult to identify.