篆书
seal script
xiaozhuan
Qiu Xigui. 2000. Chinese Writing. Translated by Gilbert L. Mattos and Jerry Norman. Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California.
This script was standardized by Li Si 李斯 (280-208 BCE), the Prime Minister of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE). It evolved from the Great Seal Script (Dazhuan 大篆) and was designed to unify writing across the empire, becoming the official script of the time. Compared to Great Seal Script, it exhibits greater uniformity and regularity, characterized by more symmetrical characters and strokes refined into smooth, flowing curves. After the Qin dynasty, it was primarily used for ornamental purposes, and it remained the preferred script for seal carving (zhuanke 篆刻).
小篆
small seal script
Script Styles