3.Chinese Characters and Language.pptVIP

Chinese Characters Origin of Chinese Characters The most sophisticated and earliest Chinese characters are the inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones called Oracle-bone Script Jiaguwen of the Shang Dynasty 17th-11th century BC which were found at the site of the last Shang capital Yin near present-day Anyang, Henan province. The Finding of Oracle Bones Chinese Characters Evolution of Chinese Characters The next stage in the history of Chinese writing is the bronze inscriptions Jinwen , which also resembled drawings appearing the Shang Dynasty and Western Zhou Dynasty. Five major scripts of Chinese calligraphy The art of Chinese calligraphy is closely related to the evolution of Chinese characters and evolved into five major styles with different techniques: The Seal Script Zhuanshu The Clerical Script Lishu The Standard Script Kaishu The Cursive Script Caoshu The Running Script Xingshu The Seal Script 篆书 Soft lines of strokes and upright rectangular shape keep the seal form characters more close to pictography. Each of the characters has a balanced and symmetrical pattern. The Clerical Script 隶书 It was the turning point in the evolution of Chinese scripts and is the foundation of the later script forms. It turned the remaining curved and round strokes of the seal form into linear and flat square shapes. The Standard Script 楷书 It is most influential script and still today’s standard writing. It is straight in line, square in form, and non-cursive in strokes. The Cursive Script 草书 This style of calligraphy is smooth and lively with strokes flowing and characters linking together. The characters are often joined, with the last stroke of one merging into the initial stroke of the next. It is executed freely and rapidly so that parts of the characters appear exaggerated. The Running Script 行书 The Running Script is somewhere between the Standard and the Cursive scripts allowing simpler and faster writing. The running s