Chinese Bronze inscriptions are writing in a variety of Chinese scripts on Chinese bronze artifacts such as zhōng^[1] bells and dǐng tripodal cauldrons from the Shāng dynasty to the Zhōu dynasty and even later. A Chinese character, also known as a Han character ( is a Logogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi Japanese ( Neolithic signs At a range of Neolithic sites in China, small numbers of symbols of either pictorial or simple geometric nature have been unearthed which were Variant Chinese characters ( are Chinese characters that can be used interchangeably The second round of Chinese character simplification was an aborted orthography reform officially promulgated on 20 December 1977 by the People's The debate on Traditional Chinese characters and Simplified Chinese characters (繁簡之爭 more recently 正簡之爭 a are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana is an ancient Writing system which employs Chinese characters to represent the Japanese language. Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated Idu is an archaic Writing system which represents the Korean language using Hanja. Hán tự ( {{IPA|/han˦˥ tɯ˨/}}; 漢[[wikt 字|字]] meaning " Chinese character " or chữ Nho ( {{IPA|/tɕɯ˧˨˧ ɲɔ/}} Chữ Nôm ( IPA: /cɨ3ˀ5 nom33/ chữ Nôm in Unicode: 字[[wikt 喃|喃]]/ 𡨸 喃/ 𡦂 喃 chữ Nôm in Unicode The art of Calligraphy is widely practiced and revered in the East Asian Civilizations that use or used Chinese characters. Oracle bone script ( refers to incised (or rarely brush-written ancient Chinese characters found on Oracle bones which are animal bones or turtle shells used in Seal script ( Chinese: Simplified 篆书 篆書 Pinyin: zhuànshū is an ancient style of Chinese calligraphy. The clerical script ( pinyin lìshū; Japanese 隷書体 Reishotai; formerly also chancery script is an archaic style of Chinese calligraphy which The regular script or standard script, or in Chinese kaishu ( and Japanese kaisho, also commonly known as standard regular Semi-cursive script is a partially cursive style of Chinese calligraphy. Cursive script ( simplified草书 erroneously translated as Grass script is a style of Chinese calligraphy. Since the Chinese language uses a logographic script — that is a script where one or more " characters " corresponds roughly to one "word" or Written Chinese comprises the written symbols used to represent Spoken Chinese and the rules about how they are arranged and punctuated A bell is a simple Sound -making device The bell is a Percussion instrument and an Idiophone. A ding or ting ( is an ancient Chinese vessel with legs and a lid The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. Early bronze inscriptions were almost always cast (that is, the writing was done with a stylus in the wet clay of the piece-mold from which the bronze was then cast), while later inscriptions were often engraved after the bronze was cast^[2].

Terminology

highly pictorial Shāng emblem character (牛 niú ‘ox’)

For the early Western Zhōu to early Warring States period, the bulk of writing which has been unearthed has been in the form of bronze inscriptions^[3]. The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the As a result, it is common to refer to the variety of scripts of this period as bronze script, even though there is no single such script. The term usually includes bronze inscriptions of the preceding Shāng dynasty as well^[4]. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the However, there are great differences between the highly pictorial Shāng emblem (aka ‘identificational’) characters on bronzes (see ‘ox’ clan insignia at left), typical Shāng bronze graphs, writing on bronzes from the middle of the Zhōu dynasty, and that on late Zhōu to Qín, Hàn and subsequent period bronzes. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. Furthermore, starting in the Spring and Autumn period, the writing in each region gradually evolved in different directions, such that the script styles in the Warring States of Chǔ, Qín and the eastern regions, for instance, were strikingly divergent. The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the Chǔ ( 楚) was a kingdom in what is now central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period ( 722 - 481 BC) and Qín or Ch'in ( Wade-Giles) (秦 ( 778 BC - 207 BC) was a State during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods In addition, artistic scripts also emerged in the late Spring and Autumn to early Warring States, such as Bird Script (鳥書 niǎoshū), also called Bird Seal Script (鳥篆 niǎozhuàn), and Insect Script (蟲書 chóngshū). The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the The comparison below of one Shāng graph and three Zhōu graphs, all from bronzes but clearly in four different scripts, illustrates why talk of “bronze script” as if it were one entity is meaningless, even when referring only to the Zhōu dynasty period. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. Such vague references make discussions of etymology particularly problematic:

寅 Yín in Four Different Scripts on Shāng–Zhōu bronzes

Shāng dyn. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time

late W. Zhōu

Bird Script, early Warring States

late Warring States

When precision is needed, bronze may be viewed as a medium, and more specific reference may be made to a script by naming one of the periods, areas, or script styles, e. g. :

• By period: Western Zhōu bronze script, or even its early, middle or late phases

• By region or lineage: Qín-lineage Spring and Autumn script; or Warring State of Chǔ script

• By script style: seal script (broadly meaning the Qín script in the Eastern Zhou to Qín dynasty); or Bird Script, Insect Script, etc. The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. Qín or Ch'in ( Wade-Giles) (秦 ( 778 BC - 207 BC) was a State during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC Chǔ ( 楚) was a kingdom in what is now central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period ( 722 - 481 BC) and Seal script ( Chinese: Simplified 篆书 篆書 Pinyin: zhuànshū is an ancient style of Chinese calligraphy. Qín or Ch'in ( Wade-Giles) (秦 ( 778 BC - 207 BC) was a State during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China

Inscribed Bronzes Found

Left: Bronze "fāng zūn" ritual wine container, c. 1000 BCE. The inscription commemorates a gift of cowrie shells to its owner. Right: Bronze "fāng yí" ritual container c. 1000 BCE. An inscription of some 180 characters appears twice on it, commenting on state rituals that accompany court ceremony, recorded by an official scribe.

Over ten thousand inscribed bronzes have been uncovered which date to before the Qín dynasty, with roughly a quarter dating to the Shāng and three quarters dating to the Zhōu dynasty^[5]. Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. These have been periodically unearthed ever since their creation, and have been systematically collected and studied since at least the Sòng dynasty. The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ^[6] The inscriptions tend to grow in length over time, from only one to six or so characters for the earlier Shāng examples, to forty or so characters in the longest, late-Shāng case^[7], and frequently a hundred or more on Zhōu bronzes, with the longest up to around 500^[8]

In general, characters on ancient Chinese bronze inscriptions were arranged in vertical columns, written top to bottom, in a fashion thought to have been influenced by bamboo books, which are believed to have been the main medium for writing in the Shāng and Zhōu dynasties^{[9] [10]}. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The very narrow, vertical bamboo slats of these books were not suitable for writing wide characters, and so a number of graphs were rotated 90 degrees; this style then carried over to the Shāng and Zhōu oracle bones and bronzes. Examples:

Examples of bronze inscription graphs rotated 90°: From left, 馬 mǎ ‘horse’; 虎 hǔ ‘tiger’, 豕 shĭ ‘swine’, 犬 quǎn ‘dog’, 象 xiàng ‘elephant’, 龜 guī ‘turtle’, 為 wèi ‘to lead’ (now ‘do’), 疾 jí ‘illness’.

Shāng bronze inscriptions

Inscriptions on Shāng bronzes are of a fairly uniform style, making it possible to discuss a “Shāng bronze script”, although great differences still exist between typical characters and certain instances of clan names or emblems. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the Like early period oracle bone script, the structures and orientations of individual graphs varied greatly in the Shāng bronze inscriptions, such that one may find a particular character written differently each time rather than in a standardized way (see the many examples of ‘tiger’ graph to the lower left). Oracle bone script ( refers to incised (or rarely brush-written ancient Chinese characters found on Oracle bones which are animal bones or turtle shells used in The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the

虎 hǔ 'tiger' from bronze inscriptions (in green), compared to other script forms

As in the oracle bone script, characters could be written facing left or right, turned 90 degrees, and sometimes even flipped vertically, generally with no change in meaning^[11]. Oracle bone script ( refers to incised (or rarely brush-written ancient Chinese characters found on Oracle bones which are animal bones or turtle shells used in For instance, and both represent the modern character 戌 xū (the 11th Earthly Branch), while and are both 侯 hóu ‘marquis’. The Chinese sexagenary cycle ( is a cyclic numeral system of 60 combinations of the two basic cycles the ten Heavenly Stems (天干 tiāngān This was true of normal as well as extra complex identificational graphs, such as the 虎 hǔ ‘tiger’ clan emblem at right, which was turned 90 degrees clockwise on its bronze.

Shāng tiger emblem from a bird-shaped zūn vessel (虎丰鳥形尊)

These inscriptions are almost all cast (as opposed to engraved)^[12], and are relatively short and simple. Some were mainly to identify the name of a clan or other name^[13], while typical inscriptions include the maker's clan name and the posthumous title of the ancestor who is commemorated by the making and use of the vessel^[14]. These inscriptions, especially those late period examples identifying a name^[15], are typically executed in a script of highly pictographic^[16] flavor, which preserves^[17] the formal, complex Shāng writing as would have primarily been written on bamboo or wood books^[18], as opposed to the concurrent simplified, linearized^[19] and more rectilinear form of writing as seen on the oracle bones. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the Oracle bones ( Chinese: 甲骨 Pinyin: jiǎgǔpiàn are pieces of Bone or turtle shell that were heated and cracked during divination A few Shāng inscriptions have been found which were brush-written on pottery, stone, jade or bone artifacts, and there are also some bone engravings on non-divination matters written in a complex, highly pictographic style^[20]; the structure and style of the bronze inscriptions is consistent with these^[21]. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The soft clay of the piece-molds used to produce the Shāng to early Zhōu bronzes was suitable for preserving most of the complexity of the brush-written characters on such books and other media, whereas the hard, bony surface of the oracle bones was difficult to engrave, spurring significant simplification and conversion to rectilinearity. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. Oracle bones ( Chinese: 甲骨 Pinyin: jiǎgǔpiàn are pieces of Bone or turtle shell that were heated and cracked during divination Furthermore, some of the characters on the Shāng bronzes may have been more complex than normal due to particularly conservative^[22] usage in this ritual medium, or when recording identificational inscriptions (clan or personal names); some scholars instead attribute this to purely decorative considerations. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the ^[23] Shāng bronze script may thus be considered a formal script, similar to but sometimes even more complex than the unattested daily Shāng script on bamboo and wood books and other media, yet far more complex than the Shāng script on the oracle bones. The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the Oracle bone script ( refers to incised (or rarely brush-written ancient Chinese characters found on Oracle bones which are animal bones or turtle shells used in

Western Zhōu script on bronzes

Western Zhōu dynasty characters (as exemplified by bronze inscriptions of that time) basically continue from the Shāng writing system; that is, early W. Zhōu forms resemble Shāng bronze forms (both identificational inscriptions such as clan names^[24], and typical writing), without any clear or sudden distinction. They are, like their Shāng predecessors in all media, often irregular in shape and size, and the structures and details often vary from one piece of writing to the next, and even within the same piece. Although most are not pictographs in function, the early Western Zhōu bronze inscriptions have been described as more pictographic in flavor than those of subsequent periods. During the Western Zhōu, many graphs begin to show signs of simplification and linearization (the changing of rounded elements into squared ones, solid elements into short line segments, and thick, variable-width lines into thin ones of uniform width), with the result being a decrease in pictographic quality, as depicted in the chart below.

Linearization of characters during the Western Zhōu

Some flexibility in orientation of graphs (rotation and reversibility) continues in the Western Zhou, but this becomes increasingly scarce throughout the Zhōu dynasty^[25]. The graphs start to become slightly more uniform in structure, size and arrangement by the time of the third Zhou sovereign, King Kāng, and after the ninth, King Yì, this trend becomes more obvious^[26]. King Kang of Zhou ( ch 周康王 zhōu kāng wáng or King K'ang of Chou was the third sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. King Yi of Zhou ( ch 周夷王 zhōu yí wáng or King I of Chou was the ninth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty.

Some have used the problematic term large seal’ (大篆 dàzhuàn) to refer to the script of this period. Large Seal script or Great Seal script (Chinese 大篆 Dàzhuàn is a traditional reference to Chinese writing from before the Qin dynasty, and is now This term dates back to the Hàn dynasty^[27], when (small) seal script and clerical script were both in use. The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. Seal script ( Chinese: Simplified 篆书 篆書 Pinyin: zhuànshū is an ancient style of Chinese calligraphy. The clerical script ( pinyin lìshū; Japanese 隷書体 Reishotai; formerly also chancery script is an archaic style of Chinese calligraphy which It thus became necessary to distinguish between the two, as well as any earlier script forms which were still accessible in the form of books and inscriptions, so the terms ‘large seal’ (大篆 dàzhuàn) and ‘small seal’ (小篆 xiǎozhuàn, aka 秦篆 Qín zhuàn) came into being. Large Seal script or Great Seal script (Chinese 大篆 Dàzhuàn is a traditional reference to Chinese writing from before the Qin dynasty, and is now However, since the term ‘large seal’ is variously used to describe zhòuwén (籀文) examples from the ca. 800 BCE Shizhoupian compendium, or inscriptions on both late W. Zhòuwén ( ch 籀文 refers to a set of 220 or so examples of ancient characters reproduced in the Hàn dynasty etymological dictionary Shuōwén Jiézì, based Zhōu bronze inscriptions and the Stone Drums of Qín, or all forms (including oracle bone script) predating small seal, the term is best avoided entirely^[28]. The Stone Drums of Qín ( are ten granite boulders bearing the oldest known stone inscriptions in ancient Chinese (much older inscriptions on pottery bronzes and Oracle bone script ( refers to incised (or rarely brush-written ancient Chinese characters found on Oracle bones which are animal bones or turtle shells used in

Eastern Zhou scripts on bronzes

Spring & Autumn period scripts on bronzes

Bronze sword of King Gōujiàn of Yuè (late Spring & Autumn), with bird script; detail--part of inscription: "越王自作" Yuè Wáng zì zuò, “Made by the King of Yuè”. Húbĕi Provincial Museum

By the beginning of the Eastern Zhōu, in the Spring and Autumn period, many graphs are fully linearized, as seen in the chart above; additionally, curved lines are straightened, and disconnected lines are often connected, with the result of greater convenience in writing, but a marked decrease in pictographic quality^[29]. The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC

In the Eastern Zhōu, the various states initially continued using the same forms as in the late Western Zhōu. However, regional forms then began to diverge stylistically as early as the Spring and Autumn period^[30], with the forms in the state of Qín remaining more conservative. Qín or Ch'in ( Wade-Giles) (秦 ( 778 BC - 207 BC) was a State during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods At this time, seals and minted coins, both probably primarily of bronze, were already in use, according to traditional documents, but none of the extant seals have yet been indisputably dated to that period^[31].

By the mid to late Spring and Autumn period, artistic derivative scripts with vertically elongated forms appeared on bronzes, especially in the eastern and southern states, and remained in use into the Warring States period (see detail of inscription from the Warring States Tomb of Marquis Yĭ of Zēng below left). The Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng ( is an important archaeological site in Suizhou, Hubei, China, dated sometime after 433 BC In the same areas, in the late Spring and Autumn to early Warring States, scripts which embellished basic structures with decorative forms such as birds or insects also appeared. The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the These are known as Bird Script (鳥書 niǎoshū) and Insect Script (蟲書chóngshū), and collectively as Bird and Insect Scripts, (鳥蟲書 niǎochóngshū; see Bronze sword of King Gōujiàn to right); however, these were primarily decorative forms for inscriptions on bronzes and other items, and not scripts in daily use^[32]. Some bronzes of the period were incised in a rough, casual manner, with graph structures often differing somewhat from typical ones. It is thought that these reflected the popular (vulgar) writing of the time which coexisted with the formal script^[33].

Warring States Period scripts on bronzes

Seals have been found from the Warring States period, mostly cast in bronze^[34], and minted bronze coins from this period are also numerous. The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the These form an additional, valuable resource for the study of Chinese bronze inscriptions. It is also from this period that the first surviving bamboo and silk manuscripts have been uncovered^[35].

In the early Warring States period, typical bronze inscriptions were similar in content and length to those in the late Western Zhōu to Spring and Autumn period^[36]. The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC One of the most famous sets of bronzes ever discovered dates to the early Warring States: a large set of biānzhōng'' bells from the tomb of Marquis Yĭ of the state of Zēng, unearthed in 1978. Bianzhong ( is an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of Bronze bells played melodically The Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng ( is an important archaeological site in Suizhou, Hubei, China, dated sometime after 433 BC The total length of the inscriptions on this set was almost 2,800 characters^[37].

Bronze biānzhōng bells from the early Warring States Tomb of Marquis Yĭ of Zēng

Detail of inscription from biānzhōng bell, Tomb of Marquis Yĭ of Zēng

In the mid to late Warring States period, the average length of inscriptions decreased greatly^[38]. Many, especially on weapons, recorded only the date, maker and so on, in contrast with earlier narrative contents. Beginning at this time, such inscriptions were typically engraved onto the already cast bronzes, rather than being written into the wet clay of piece-molds as had been the earlier practice. The engraving was often roughly and hastily executed. ^[39].

In Warring States period bronze inscriptions, trends from the late Spring and Autumn period continue, such as the use of artistically embellished scripts (e. g. , Bird and Insect Scripts) on decorated bronze items. In daily writing, which was not embellished in this manner, the typical script continued evolving in different directions in various regions, and this divergence was accelerated by both a lack of central political control as well as the spread of writing outside of the nobility^[40]. In the state of Qín, which was somewhat culturally isolated from the other states, and which was positioned on the old Zhōu homeland, the script became more uniform and stylistically symmetrical^[41], rather than changing much structurally. Change in the script was slow, so it remained more similar to the typical late Western Zhōu script as found on bronzes of that period and the Shĭ Zhoù Piān (史籀篇) compendium of ca. Zhòuwén ( ch 籀文 refers to a set of 220 or so examples of ancient characters reproduced in the Hàn dynasty etymological dictionary Shuōwén Jiézì, based 800 BCE^[42][43]. As a result, it was not until around the middle of the Warring States period that popular (aka common or vulgar) writing gained momentum in Qín, and even then, the vulgar forms remained somewhat similar to traditional forms, changing primarily in terms of becoming more rectilinear. The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the Traditional forms in Qín remained in use as well, so that two forms of writing coexisted. The traditional forms in Qín evolved slowly during the Eastern Zhōu, gradually becoming what is now called (small) seal script during that period, without any clear dividing line (it is not the case, as is commonly believed, that small seal script was a sudden invention by Lĭ Sī in the Qín dynasty^[44]). The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. Seal script ( Chinese: Simplified 篆书 篆書 Pinyin: zhuànshū is an ancient style of Chinese calligraphy. Li Si ( (ca 280 BC - September or October 208 BC was the influential Prime Minister (or Chancellor of the feudal state and later of the dynasty of Qin, between Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China Meanwhile, the Qín vulgar writing evolved into early clerical (or proto-clerical) in the late Warring States to Qín dynasty period^[45], which would then evolve further into the clerical script used in the Hàn through the Wèi-Jìn (晉) periods. Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China The clerical script ( pinyin lìshū; Japanese 隷書体 Reishotai; formerly also chancery script is an archaic style of Chinese calligraphy which The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. Cao Wei ( was one of the empires that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period The Jìn Dynasty ( 265 – 420) one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms period and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties ^[46]

Meanwhile, in the eastern states, vulgar forms had become popular sooner; they also differed more radically from and more completely displaced the traditional forms^[47]. These eastern scripts, which also varied somewhat by state or region, were later misunderstood by Xŭ Shèn, author of the Hàn dynasty etymological dictionary Shuōwén Jiézì, who thought they predated the Warring States Qín forms, and thus labeled them gǔwén (古文), or “ancient script”. Xǔ Shèn ( ca 58 CE – ca 147 CE was a Chinese philologist of the Han Dynasty. The Shuōwén Jiězì ( "Explaining Simple and Analyzing Compound Characters" was an early 2nd century CE Chinese dictionary from the Han Dynasty Gǔwén ( literally means ancient Chinese script. Historically the term has been used in several different ways

See also

• Chinese writing
• Chinese calligraphy
• oracle bone script
• Seal script
• clerical script

Notes

References

• 陳昭容 Chén Zhāoróng (2003) 秦系文字研究 ﹕从漢字史的角度考察 Research on the Qín (Ch'in) Lineage of Writing: An Examination from the Perspective of the History of Chinese Writing. 中央研究院歷史語言研究所專刊 Academia Sinica, Institute of History and Philology Monograph. ISBN 957-671-995-X (in Chinese).

• Deydier, Christian (1980). Chinese Bronzes. New York: Rizzoli NK7904. D49, SA

• Qiú Xīguī (2000). Chinese Writing. Translation of 文字學概論 by Mattos and Norman. Early China Special Monograph Series No. 4. Berkeley: The Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. ISBN 1-55729-071-7.

• Rawson, Jessica (1980) Ancient China: Art and Archaeology. London: British Museum Publications.

• Rawson, Jessica (1987) Chinese Bronzes: Art and Ritual. London.

• Rawson, Jessica (1983) The Chinese Bronzes of Yunnan. London and Beijing: Sidgwick and Jackson.

• Shaughnessy, Edward L. (1991). Sources of Western Zhou History: Inscribed Bronze Vessels. University of California Press, Berekeley, Los Angeles, Oxford. ISBN 0-520-07028-3.

• Wáng Huī (王輝, 2006). “商周金文” (Shāng and Zhōu bronze inscriptions). 北京 : 文物出版社 Bĕijīng, Wénwù Publishing.