Seal script

Seal script
Script type	Logographic
Time period	c. 700 BC – c. 200 AD
Direction	Top-to-bottom
Languages	Old Chinese
Related scripts
Parent systems	Oracle bone script Seal script
Child systems	Clerical script Regular script
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Seal script
"Seal script" in regular script (left) and seal script (right).
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	篆書
Simplified Chinese	篆书
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin zhuànshū Bopomofo ㄓㄨㄢˋ ㄕㄨ Wade–Giles chuan4-shu1 Tongyong Pinyin jhuàn-shu IPA [ʈʂwân.ʂú] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization syuhnsyū Jyutping syun6 syu1 IPA [syːn˨.syː˥]
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	triện thư chữ triện
Hán-Nôm	篆書 𡨸篆

Chinese characters
Chinese family of scripts Written Chinese Kanji Hanja Chữ Hán
Historical forms and styles Neolithic symbols in China Oracle bone Bronze Seal (Bird-worm Large Small) Clerical Cursive Semi-cursive Regular Flat brush Typefaces Fangsong Ming Sans-serif
Properties and classification Components Strokes (order) Radical
Collation and standards Character-form standards Jiu zixing Xin zixing Kangxi Dictionary forms (1716) General Standard Chinese Characters (mainland China, 2013) Graphemes of Commonly-used Chinese characters (Hong Kong, 2007) Standard Form of National Characters (Taiwan, 1982) Grapheme-usage standards General Standard Characters (PRC, 2013) Jōyō kanji (Japan, 2010) Other standards Standardized Forms of Words with Variant Forms (PRC, 2002) Nan Min Recommended Characters (Taiwan, 2009) Previous standards Commonly-used Characters (PRC, 1988) Tōyō kanji (Japan, 1946)
Reforms China Clerical reforms Traditional characters Simplified characters (first round second round) Debate Japan Kyūjitai Shinjitai Ryakuji Korea Yakja Singapore Table of Simplified Characters
Homographs and readings Literary and colloquial readings
Variants Graphemic variants Zetian characters
Derived systems Slavonic transcription Nüshu Kana ( Man'yōgana Hiragana Katakana ) Jurchen script Khitan ( Large Small ) Idu script Bopomofo Sawndip Chữ Nôm
Transliteration of Chinese
v t e

Seal script or sigillary script is a style of writing Chinese characters that was common throughout the latter half of the 1st millennium BC. It evolved organically out of bronze script during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). The variant of seal script used in the state of Qin eventually became comparatively standardized, and was adopted as the formal script across all of China during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). It was still widely used for decorative engraving and seals during the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD).^[1][2][3]

The literal translation of "seal script" (篆書 zhuànshū) is 'decorative engraving script'—this name was coined during the Han dynasty,^{[citation needed]} and reflects the role of the script being reduced to ceremonial inscriptions.