A: As a writing symbol, the pursuit of "simplicity, clarity and quickness" in the actual writing process is the main reason for the evolution of the form. At the same time, the frequency of using Chinese characters, the degree of socialization and the changes of writing materials and tools are also important reasons.
1, Chinese writing style
The main purpose of writing Chinese characters is to record and transmit information. The social application of Chinese characters is arbitrary, and there are some irregular phenomena such as individual variation and typo.
2. Frequency of using Chinese characters
In ancient and modern Chinese characters, the number of strokes with high frequency is relatively small, but the number of strokes with low frequency is more. Commonly used Chinese characters are highly simplified.
3. The popularity of Chinese characters.
The popularity of Chinese characters for recording common words or vocabulary is high; The well-known Chinese characters are also highly standardized.
4. Changes in written materials
Different materials restrict the writing speed and physical effect of Chinese characters. Various materials are used in the history of Chinese characters. Before the invention of papermaking, tortoise shell bones, Zhong Ding pottery, such as seal script, tablet inscription, stone tablet and bamboo slips, and silk were used. The cost of these materials, the difficulty of carving and the tools needed are also different. For more than a thousand years after the invention of papermaking, paper was used as writing material except for special needs. Now we have entered the information age, and Chinese characters are processed by computers. In most cases, Chinese characters are written by keyboard, screen and disk.
5. Changes in writing tools
The same tools also limit the writing speed and physical effect of Chinese characters. The evolution of pen has experienced several types: knife pen-soft pen-hard pen-machine pen. Now, traditional tools have not completely withdrawn from the historical stage. As a tool of calligraphy art, writing brush is still being studied and used by many people. Knives and pencils are still used as seal cutting tools in many places; However, it should also be noted that these special tools are gradually being replaced by computer technology. For example, nowadays, computer lettering, as small as famous seals and official seals, as large as inscriptions and murals, all kinds of materials, including marble and copper-aluminum plates, can be carved smoothly. As long as there are fonts in the font library, lettering can be done.