Small seal script: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Form of Chinese characters from the Qin dynasty}}

{{Infobox writing system

|name=Small seal script

|type=[[Logographic]]

|languages=[[Old Chinese]]

|time={{circa|500 BC|200 AD}}

|time= [[Bronze Age China]]

|fam1=([[History of writing#Proto-writing|Proto-writing]])

|fam2=[[Oracle bone script]]

|fam3=[[Bronze script]]

|fam4=[[Large seal script]]

|children=[[Clerical script]]

|children=[[Clerical script]] (lishu)<br />[[Kaishu]]<br />[[Traditional Chinese]]<br />[[Simplified Chinese]]<br />[[Kanji]]<br />[[Kana]]<br />[[Hanja]]<br />[[Zhuyin]]<br />[[Chu Nom]]<br />[[Khitan small script|Khitan script]]<br />[[Jurchen script]]<br />[[Tangut script]]

|sample=Edict bronze standard weight Qin dynasty.jpg

|iso15924=Seal

|sample=XiaozhuanQinquan.jpg

|imagesize=

|note=none

}}

{{Infobox Chinese

| c = 小篆

| p = xiǎozhuàn

| w = hsiao³-chuan⁴

| j = siu2 syun6

| l = small seal

| altname = Qin script

| c2 = 秦篆

| p2 = Qínzhuàn

| j2 = Ceon4 syun6

| w2 = Chʻin²-chuan⁴

| l2 = Qin seal

}}

{{Table Hanzi}}

The '''small seal script''' is an archaic [[Chinese script styles|script style]] of [[written Chinese]]. It developed within the [[state of Qin]] during the [[Eastern Zhou]] dynasty (771–256&nbsp;BC), and was then promulgated across China in order to replace script varieties used in other [[ancient Chinese states]] following [[Qin's wars of unification]] and establishment of the [[Qin dynasty]] (221–206&nbsp;BC) under [[Qin Shi Huang]], the first [[emperor of China]].

The '''small seal script''' ({{zh|s={{linktext|小篆}}|p=xiǎozhuàn}}), or '''Qin script''' ({{lang|zh|秦篆}}, ''Qínzhuàn''), is an archaic form of [[Chinese calligraphy]]. It was standardized and promulgated as a national standard by the government of [[Qin Shi Huang]], founder of the Chinese [[Qin dynasty]].

== Name ==

Xiaozhuan, [[Wade-Giles|formerly]] [[romanization of Chinese|romanized]] as '''Hsiao-chuan''', is also known as the '''seal script''' or '''lesser seal script.'''

== History ==

During the [[Eastern Zhou]] dynasty ({{circa|771}}{{snd}}256&nbsp;BC), local varieties of [[Chinese character]] forms had developed across the country, producing the 'scripts of the six states' ({{lang|zh|六國文字}})—which were later collectively referred to as [[large seal script]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seal Script |url=https://www.cityu.edu.hk/lib/about/event/ch_calligraphy/seal_eng.htm |access-date=2023-09-28}}</ref> This variance was considered unacceptable by the nascent [[Qin dynasty]] (221–206&nbsp;BC), who saw it as a hindrance to timely communication, trade, taxation, and transportation, as well as being a potential vector for fomenting political dissent.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Galambos |first=Imre |year=2004 |title=The Myth of the Qin Unification of Writing in Han Sources |jstor=23658631 |journal=Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=181–203 |doi=10.1556/AOrient.57.2004.2.2 |issn=0001-6446}}</ref> Around 220&nbsp;BC, [[Qin Shi Huang]] ordered a systematic standardization of the country's weights, measures, and currency, as well as its writing system. Character forms which differed from those used by Qin scribes were discarded, with the Qin forms becoming standard across the entire empire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Diringer |first=David |title=The book before printing: Ancient, Medieval and Oriental |publisher=Dover |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-486-24243-9 |___location=New York}}</ref>

Before the [[Qin's wars of unification|Qin conquest of the six other major]] [[Warring States period|warring states]] of [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou China]], local styles of [[Chinese character|characters]] had evolved independently of one another for centuries, producing "Scripts of the Six States" ({{lang|zh|六國文字}}), all of which were included under the general term "[[great seal script]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Categories of Calligraphy - Seal Script |url=https://www.cityu.edu.hk/lib/about/event/ch_calligraphy/seal_eng.htm |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.cityu.edu.hk}}</ref>

However, under one unified government, the diversity was deemed undesirable as it hindered timely communication, trade, taxation, and transportation, and as independent scripts might be used to represent dissenting political ideas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Galambos |first=Imre |date=2004 |title=The Myth of the Qin Unification of Writing in Han Sources |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23658631 |journal=Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=181–203 |issn=0001-6446}}</ref>

Hence, Emperor [[Qin Shi Huang]] mandated the systematic unification of weights, measures, currencies, etc., and the use of a standard writing script. Characters which were different from those found in Qin were discarded, and Qin's small seal characters became the standard for all regions within the empire. This policy became effective in around 220 BC, the year after Qin's unification of the Chinese states.<ref name="Diringer">[[Diringer, David]]. [1982] (1982). ''The Book Before Printing: Ancient, Medieval, and Oriental.'' Courier Dover Publications. {{ISBN|0-486-24243-9}}.</ref>

== Standardization ==

The standardized use of small seal characters was promulgated via the ''[[Cangjiepian]]'', a primer compiled by Qin Shi Huang's ministersministers—namely his chancellor [[Li Si]]. This compilation, statedwhich was claimed to containinclude 3,300 characters, is no longer extant, and is known only through Chinese commentaries over the centuries. Several hundred characters from fragmented commentaries were collected during the [[Qing perioddynasty]] (1644–1912), and recent archeological excavations in [[Anhui]], China, have uncovered several hundred more on bamboo strips, showing the order of the characters.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} However, the script found was not the small seal script, as the discovery dates back to the [[Han period]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==Unicode==

The small seal script has been proposed for inclusion in [[Unicode]]. The 723-page proposal from 2015 lists much of the then-known examples of Qing dynasty commentary images.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2015/15281-n4688-small-seal.pdf|title=L2/15-281: Proposal to encode Small Seal Script in UCS | publisher=Working Group Document, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 and UTC|date=2015-10-20|access-date=2016-01-23}}</ref> This topic remains under discussion by Unicode's working group as of April 2020.

==See alsoEncoding ==

The small seal script haswas beeninitially proposed for inclusion in [[Unicode]] in 2015. The 723-page proposal from 2015 lists muchmany of the thenbest-known examples of Qing dynasty-era commentary images.<ref>{{citeCite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2015/15281-n4688-small-seal.pdf|title=L2/15-281: Proposal to encode Small Seal Script in UCS | publisher=Working Group Document, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 and UTC|date=2015-10-20|access-date=2016-01-23}}</ref> This{{As topicof|April 2020}}, the proposal remains under discussion by Unicode's working group as of April 2020.

* [[Seal script]]

* [[Large seal script]]

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://unicode.org/L2/topical/seal/ Topical Document List: Seal Script], [[Unicode]]

* Lookup of seal script is available through some online dictionaries. See the [https://guides.lib.ku.edu/c.php?g=206749&p=1363898 KU libraries] guide for examples.

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{{list of writing systems}}

[[Category:Culture of the Qin dynasty culture]]

[[Category:Obsolete writing systems]]

[[Category:Chinese script style]]