Chinese Characters

The Origin of Chinese Characters  Chinese characters, which became a complete character system after a long period of development, are ideograms that were created independently and were based on pictographic symbols.  Mr. Tang Lan put forward the idea in his Introduction to the Ancient Writing that characters originated from pictures, which has become long established.

The Origin of Chinese Characters  The existence of pre-historical painting  Totemism performed a great function.  Forms, pronunciations and meanings confirmed  The development from pictures which transferred information to the birth of Chinese characters, from picture characters and totemism symbols to set symbols, constituted the whole process of the origin of Chinese characters.  The sufficient accumulation and deliberate regulation of individual characters

The Origin of Chinese Characters  The limitation of this kind of pictograph  Many things with similar appearances and difficult to distinguish by simple lines  The demand of the enrichment and perfection of characters and language for the lack of needs of communication  New methods of “the Six Categories of Chinese Characters”

the Six Categories of Chinese Characters  It marked the maturation of Chinese characters summed up by Xu Shen of Han  The first: Pictographic Characters, which describe objects by the form.  日，月，山， 水 ……  The most primitive and basic word- formation method

the Six Categories of Chinese Characters  The second: Self-Explanatory Characters, which use symbols to refer to abstract concepts on the pictographic basis  上，（ ），下，（ ）  The third: the Associative Compounds, which combine two or more words together to show a new meaning  采，尖，劣，信，看，家 ……

the Six Categories of Chinese Characters  The fourth: Pictophonetic Characters, words with one element indicating meaning and the other sound  竽，宇，渔，遇，愚，喻，屿，榆 ……  Pictophonetic Characters account for a large part of Chinese characters, precisely, over 80%.

the Six Categories of Chinese Characters  The fifth: the Phonetic Loan Characters, which borrow the words of similar sounds to show new concepts. Therefore, there appeared the complicated phenomenon of homograph (words with identical forms but different meanings)  令, 汤（荡） ……

the Six Categories of Chinese Characters  The six: Mutually Explanatory Characters (words with same radicals, same sounds, same or similar meanings which can explain one another)  考（老），来（小麦），求（毛 皮） ……  To sum up, the Six Categories of Chinese Characters is the six fundamental rules over structure and usage of the Chinese characters, and is also the major principles.

The Development of Chinese Characters  To begin with, the Inscriptions on Bones and Tortoise Shells of Xia and Shang Dynasties  Inscriptions on Ancient Bronze Objects and Bronze Inscriptions meeting the needs of “lasting long”  The Big Seal Characters used by Qin in W.S.P.

 The Qin State made Xiaozhuan (the Small Seal Characters), which is considered the most important reform.  The inscribed stone of Qin State on Mt. Tai  Xiaozhuan is a bridge connecting the ancient Chinese characters and the modern ones. The Development of Chinese Characters

 The Official Script came into being in Qin and took the place of Xiaozhuan in Han.  The Official Script had almost lost all the pictographic characteristics and the Chinese characters were transformed into written symbols, which were purely made up of strokes.  The Official Script is a milestone in Chinese characters’ development, laying a solid foundation for the square Chinese characters.

The Development of Chinese Characters  During the Han Dynasty, the Official Script developed into a standard letter-form, and further evolved into the Cursive Hand.  Zhangcao (the Ancient Cursive Hand) with strokes of grass style, easier and quicker to write  Jincao (Today’s Cursive Hand), more fluently and quickly written  Kuangcao (the Unchained Cursive Hand), very difficult to read and became a pure art

The Development of Chinese Characters  The Regular Script came into being in the end of Han, which had steady and well- balanced structure and was square in shape.  Easy to read and write, it can serve as a model. Therefore, it is called Regular Script.  The Regular Script reached its climax during the Tang Dynasty.  The Running Hand started to exist between the Cursive Hand and the Regular Script.

Major Schools of Chinese Calligraphy  Calligraphy comprises the way in which characters are written and the standards according to which they are written.  Calligraphy includes five aspects: the way of handling the brush; the way of writing; the structure; the pattern; the way to sign or use a seal.  The Regular Script and the Cursive Hand are widely used in schools and the most profound in their influences.

Major Schools of Chinese Calligraphy  The four schools of the Regular Script: Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Zhao Mengfu  Schools of the Cursive Hand: the Two Wangs (Kings) (Wang Xizhi, “the Calligraphy Saint and Wang Xianzhi, his son); Zhi Yong and Sun Guoting; Zhang Xu and Huai Su (the Two Uniques of Kuang Cao)

欧阳询 《九成 宫醴泉 铭》

颜真卿 《多 宝塔 碑》

柳公权 《玄 秘塔 碑》

王羲之 《兰亭 序》

王献之 《鸭 头丸 帖》