What is the meaning of "worm" in "Carving Insects"? Thank you for your questions.

Bug: it refers to the book of birds and insects, a font of ancient Chinese characters. "Carving insects" originally refers to the book of carving birds and insects. The so-called book of birds and insects is an ancient seal script. Chinese characters are developed from hieroglyphics, and the seal script of ancient bird and insect books, that is, the font written with long slender strokes, is mostly developed from the shape of bird and insect books. There is also a phrase "carving insects and engraving", which refers to this kind of carving insects and birds, meaning insignificant tricks. Source: "Northern History Li Hunchuan": "I am not as good as Qing; The national code is in the chapter, and Qing is not as good as me. " The Book of Birds and Insects is based on the standard style of Dazhuan, and some figures of birds (phoenixes) and insects (dragons, snakes, etc.) are added. ), and the sense of abstraction evolved from these graphics makes practical words more enjoyable. From the perspective of the history of calligraphy, the appearance of this style of calligraphy is neither a return to ancient hieroglyphics nor the necessity of self-discipline in the evolution of characters, but actually related to people's aesthetic consciousness at that time. Judging from the existing bronze inscriptions, The Book of Birds and Insects appeared at the latest in the mid-Spring and Autumn Period and was popular in Chu, Wu, Cai, Song and Yue countries. Chu is one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period and seven heroes in the Warring States Period. She gradually unified the southern half of China with rich Chu culture. It is not only the representative of southern culture, but also the essence of cultural integration and development in the southern region. Therefore, The Book of Birds and Insects not only deeply melted the national spirit of Chu at that time, but also represented the application of the Book of Birds and Insects. During the traditional festivals in China, even at ordinary times, we often see some folk artists performing and writing books on birds and insects in public places with homemade bamboo pens and wooden pens. Most of them are written in different colors, which adds more auspicious and festive colors. Although there is no hall for calligraphy or art exhibition, this folk writing method has a quite common audience among the people. In colleges and universities in Hubei, we can always see the books of birds and insects they bought from the streets and posted on the bedside in the dormitory, but the contents of the books are often aphorisms or aphorisms that encourage progress according to their requirements. We have no intention to argue whether this popular artistic style can be called calligraphy art, but it is an indisputable fact that it is welcomed by the people. In many families, especially in big houses in rural areas, we often see this kind of bird and insect book as a couplet hanging on both sides of nave. In that kind of environment with rich folk culture, this kind of bird and insect book couplet is really a touch of sunshine, which makes the house light up. Obviously, the origin of this folk bird and insect book (or "flower") is undoubtedly the popular bird and insect book in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Judging from the current writing characteristics, it takes running script and cursive script as the backbone in the text structure, and bird-shaped in the decoration. However, according to the characteristics and text meaning of strokes, some images such as butterflies, insects, fish and shrimp are flexibly added to make format graphics. In the paradox, the original meaning of words is like flowers in the fog, which is more subtle. On the other hand, the Book of Birds and Insects, with its special charm, has been applied by southern folk artists in folk arts such as tombstone inscription, pane decoration and paper cutting. In the folklore of Chu, the death of the old man is a "white happy event". Since it is a happy event, of course, the deceased buried in the tomb is "enjoying happiness." At the same time, they also believe that the souls of the dead will bless the living. So some people will carve a big word "Fu" in the middle of the tombstone. The word "fu" is completely coiled with birds (phoenixes) (dragons and snakes), which is the embodiment that the book of birds and insects is transformed into auspicious meaning in the evolution process. In many places in the ancient Chu State, you can still see decorative patterns on the windows of wooden houses. The decorative beauty and auspicious implication of such books have become a unique folk cultural phenomenon. In some folk paper-cutting and embroidery, we can often see beautiful images of birds and insect books. As an art form, The Book of Birds and Insects is miraculously preserved among the people and passed down from generation to generation by folk artists. As a special skill, it has also been moved to architectural decoration, tombstone inscriptions and paper-cut patterns by folk craftsmen. Its language and aesthetic functions have become an indispensable part of folk culture. Therefore, further exploration and research on it still has its practical significance.