The Evolution of Hanzi

中国文字的演变

The Evolution of Hanzi

中国古代通过结绳、切割或绘制图像来记录事件，然后创建了第一个象形文字。仓颉－黄帝的史官，從他對鳥類和野獸遺留的腳印的觀察發明了漢字。
汉字（中国字）的演变可以分为以下几个阶段：甲骨文、金文、小篆、隶书、楷草行书和现今的简体字。在秦始皇统一中国后，小篆成为官方文字，但流传在隶官之间便于书写的文字－隶书开始产生，在汉朝盛行。隶书是将篆书圆转的笔划改为方折，让书写速度更快，奠定汉字是方块文字的基础。不过也因为如此，中国文字与古文(隶书以前的文字)的联结产生比较大的脱节。现今我们要了解中国文字的起源，必须研究从甲骨文到小篆时期的文字。
楷书是篆书的变体，而草书和行书则是为了书写方便再演化的文字。现今所有印刷均采标准书体－楷书为范本。简体字是中国在1949年后才统一规定使用的文字，减少书写的笔划，但许多文字并没有依照六书原则设立。目前为联合国六种官方使用语言文字之一，有别于台湾和香港还在使用的正体字。

称为'汉字'是因为汉朝非常强大，是汉族人民使用的文字。

It is called 'Hanzi' because it is used by Han people, and also the Han Dynasty is a super powerful & well-known era.

Chinese ancients kept records of events by tying knots, incising or drawing images. The first pictographic character was then created. Cang Jie, a historical chronicler of the yellow emperor invented Chinese characters from his observation of the footprints left on the grounds by birds and beasts.
The evolution of Hanzi (Chinese Characters) has been classified into the stages of Oracle Bone, Bronze Script, Lesser Seal, Clerical Script, Standard Script and Simplified Characters. Lesser Seal became the official language after First Emperor of Qing unified Chia, but the Clerical Script was derived and communicated among the governmental clerks, and became very popular in Han Dynasty due to its speedy writing styles changed from the round-turn to straight-turn. Hanzi has become the square-shaped characters. Unfortunately, we then have lost the direct connection to the Ancient Chinese characters. Now we need to study the origins of Hanzi dated back from Oracle Bone and Lesser Seal stages in order to understand how the Chinese characters were created.
Standard Script, the variant of Clerical Script is still widely used nowadays. It is also the standardized printing styles. Even it simplified the strokes, many derived words did not follow the principles of the Six-Writings. Simplified characters are the current UN admitted Chinese language. They are different from the traditional characters used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

1. 甲骨文阶段

文字刻在龟甲和兽骨上
商朝或殷朝
西元前的14-11世纪

2. 青铜器时代的金文

浇铸在青铜器上的文字
周朝
西元前11世纪到西元前221年

3. 小篆阶段

由大篆发展出，是秦统一中国规定使用的文字
秦朝
西元前221～207年

4. 隶书阶段

特指汉隶(今隶)，别于秦隶(古隶)
汉朝
西元前207年到西元后220年

5. 楷书、草书和行书阶段

开始盛行于汉末，楷书仍为现今使用的文字，是正体字，盛行于汉末。
2000年以前到现在

6. 简体字

目前中国使用的文字，是联合国六大语言文字之一

西元1949年

1. Oracle Bone Script Stage

Scripts were engraved on the shells and bones
Shang or Yin Dynasty
14th-11th B.C. centuries

2. Bronze Script Stage

Slightly Engraved on the Bronzes
Zhou Dynasty
11th century B.C. --256 B.C.

3. Lesser Seal Script Stage

Developed from Greater Seal, used after Qing Dynasty unified China
Qin Dynasty
221 B.C. -- 207 B.C.

4. Clerical Script Stage

Han Clerical Script, not Qing Clerical Script

Han Dynasty
207 B.C. --220 A.D.

5. Standard, cursive & running scripts Stage

Popular in the end of Han, still used now
2000 years ago till now

6. Simplified Characters

Current used in China, admitted by UN
1949

中国文字的演变