Knowra Official script Official script Official script, also called clerical script, is a Chinese calligraphic style that developed during the Qin and Han dynasties, marked by broad, angular strokes and distinctive flaring stroke ends.
Silkworm head and wild goose tail : A traditional description of clerical script’s rounded stroke beginnings and flaring, angled endings. This signature stroke form makes the style’s broad, angular character visible.
Qin dynasty : The Chinese dynasty that unified the Warring States in 221 BCE and ruled until 206 BCE. Clerical script took shape amid the Qin state's expanding administrative needs.
Cao Quan stele : A 185 CE stone inscription celebrated for the elegance and clarity of its Han clerical script. Its flowing, carefully balanced characters exemplify a refined monument style.
Regular script : A standardized Chinese script style with distinct, orderly strokes and balanced character forms. Its mature forms developed after clerical script and retained aspects of its character structure.
Chinese calligraphy : The art of writing Chinese characters with expressive control of brush, structure, and ink. Official script is one historical style within this broader art.
Han dynasty : A Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 206 BCE to 220 CE, with a brief interruption. The style matured and became widely established during the Han period.
Shi Chen stele : A pair of Han dynasty stone inscriptions, dated 169 CE, written in formal clerical script. Its restrained forms demonstrate the script’s monumental, official character.
Running script : A semi-cursive Chinese calligraphic style that links and abbreviates strokes for faster writing. It developed within the calligraphic tradition shaped by earlier clerical forms.
Chinese character structure : The arrangement of strokes and components that forms written Chinese characters. Clerical script reshapes character components into a flatter, more horizontal layout.
Chinese script reform : Historical efforts to standardize or simplify written Chinese forms for administration and communication. The Qin standardization of writing formed part of the setting in which clerical script emerged.
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