Editing Written Chinese (section)

== History ==
[[Image:Shang_dynasty_inscribed_tortoise_plastron.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|A turtle plastron bearing [[oracle bone inscriptions]]]]
Written Chinese is one of the oldest continuously used writing systems.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=ix}} The earliest examples universally accepted as Chinese writing are the [[oracle bone inscriptions]] made during the reign of the [[Shang]] king [[Wu Ding]] ({{circa|1250|1192&nbsp;BCE}}). These inscriptions were made primarily on ox scapulae and turtle shells in order to record the results of divinations conducted by the Shang royal family. Characters posing a question were first carved into the bones. The question's answer was then divined by heating the bones over a fire and interpreting the resulting cracks that formed. The interpretation was then carved into the same [[oracle bone]].{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=64–65}}
{{Image frame|width=185|border=no|pos=bottom|caption=Inscribed [[Chinese ritual bronzes]] dated {{circa|1000&nbsp;BCE}}
| content = {{CSS image crop|Image = Western Zhou Ritual Containers3.jpg
 | Description = {{zhi|c=樽|p=Fāngzūn}} wine container{{snd}}inscription commemorates a gift of cowrie shells.
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}}{{CSS image crop|Image = Western Zhou Ritual Containers3.jpg
 | bSize = 520
 | cWidth = 185
 | cHeight = 260
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 | Description = {{zhi|c=彝|p=Fāngyí}} ritual container{{snd}}inscription appearing twice on the vessel, comments on rituals accompanying court ceremonies.
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In 2003, 11 isolated symbols carved on tortoise shells were found at the [[Jiahu]] archaeological site in [[Henan]]—with some bearing a striking resemblance to certain modern characters, such as {{zhc|c=目|p=mù|l=eye}}. The Jiahu site dates from {{circa|6600&nbsp;BCE}}, predating the earliest attested Chinese writing by more than 5,000&nbsp;years. Garman Harbottle, who had headed a team of archaeologists at the [[University of Science and Technology of China]] in Anhui—has suggested that these symbols were precursors to Chinese writing. However, the palaeographer [[David Keightley]] argues instead that the time gap is too great to establish any connection.<ref name="Rincon2003">{{Cite news |last=Rincon |first=Paul |year=2003 |title=Earliest Writing Found in China |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2956925.stm |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
From the [[Late Shang]] period ({{circa|1250|1050&nbsp;BCE}}), Chinese writing evolved into the form found in [[Chinese bronze inscriptions|cast inscriptions]] on ritual bronzes made during the [[Western Zhou]] dynasty ({{circa|1046}}{{snd}}771&nbsp;BCE) and the [[Spring and Autumn period]] (771–476&nbsp;BCE), a form of writing called bronze script ({{zhi|c=金文|p=jīnwén}}). Bronze script characters are less angular than their oracle bone script counterparts. The script became increasingly regularized during the [[Warring States period]] (475–221&nbsp;BCE), settling into what is called {{zhl|c=六国文字|p=liùguó wénzì|l=script of the six states}}, that Xu Shen used as source material in the ''Shuowen Jiezi''. These characters were later embellished and stylized to yield the [[seal script]], which represents the oldest form of Chinese characters still in modern use. They are used principally for [[Seal (East Asia)|signature seals]], or chops, which are often used in place of a signature for Chinese documents and artwork. [[Li Si]] promulgated the seal script as the standard throughout China, which had been recently united under the imperial [[Qin dynasty]] (221–206&nbsp;BCE).{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=63}}

The initial adaptation of seal into [[clerical script]] can be attributed to scribes in the [[state of Qin]] working prior to the wars of unification.  Clerical script forms generally have a "flat" appearance, being wider than their seal script equivalents.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=64–67}} In the [[semi-cursive script]] that evolved from clerical script, character elements begin to run into each other, though the characters themselves generally remain discrete. This is contrasted with fully [[cursive script (East Asia)|cursive script]], where characters are often rendered unrecognizable by their canonical forms.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=69–70}} [[Regular script]] is the most widely recognized script, and was considerably influenced by semi-cursive. In regular script, each stroke of each character is clearly drawn out from the others.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=70}}

{{Clear}}
{{Gallery
| title=Chinese script styles | align=center | mode=packed | height=240
|  File:XiaozhuanQinquan sized.jpg
 | Seal script
|  File:LishuHuashanmiao.jpg
 | Clerical script
|  File:XingshuLantingxv.jpg
 | Semi-cursive script
|  File:Treatise On Calligraphy.jpg
 | Cursive script
|  File:KaishuOuyangxun.jpg
 | Regular script
}}

Regular script is considered the archetypal Chinese writing and forms the basis for most printed forms. In addition, regular script [[Stroke order#General guidelines|imposes a stroke order]], which must be followed in order for the characters to be written correctly.{{sfnp|McNaughton|Ying|1999|p=24}} Strictly speaking, this stroke order applies to the clerical, running, and grass scripts as well, but especially in the running and grass scripts, this order is occasionally deviated from. Thus, for instance, the character {{zhc|c=木|p=mù|l=wood}} must be written starting with the horizontal stroke, drawn from left to right; next, the vertical stroke, from top to bottom; next, the left diagonal stroke, from top to bottom; and lastly the right diagonal stroke, from top to bottom.{{sfnp|McNaughton|Ying|1999|p=43}}

=== Simplification and standardization ===
{{Main|Simplified Chinese characters|Traditional Chinese characters}}
{{See also|Debate on traditional and simplified Chinese characters}}
Beginning in the mid-20th century, Chinese has primarily been written using either [[simplified Chinese characters|simplified]] or [[traditional character]] forms. Simplified characters, which merge some character forms and reduce the average stroke count per character, were developed by the Chinese government with the stated goal of increasing literacy among the population. During this time, literacy rates did increase rapidly, but some observers instead attribute this to other education reforms and a general increase in the standard of living. Little systematic research has been conducted to support the conclusion that the use of simplified characters has affected literacy rates; studies conducted in China have instead focused on arbitrary statistics, such as quantifying the number of strokes saved on average in a given text sample.{{sfnp|Ramsey|1987|p=151}} Simplified characters are standard in mainland China, [[Singapore]] and [[Malaysia]], while traditional characters are standard in [[Hong Kong]], [[Macau]], [[Taiwan]] and some [[overseas Chinese]] communities.{{sfnp|Bruggeman|2006}}{{page needed|date=July 2023}}

Simplified forms have also been characterized as being inconsistent. For instance, the traditional {{zhi|c=讓|p=ràng|l=allow}} is simplified to {{zhi|c=让}}, in which the phonetic on the right side is reduced from 17 strokes to 3, and the {{kxr|speech}} radical on the left also being simplified. However, the same phonetic component is not reduced in simplified characters such as {{zhi|c=壤|p=rǎng|l=soil}} and {{zhi|c=齉|p=nàng|l=snuffle}}—these characters are relatively uncommon, and would therefore represent a negligible stroke reduction.{{sfnp|Ramsey|1987|p=152}} Other simplified forms derive from long-standing calligraphic abbreviations, as with {{zhi|c=万|p=wàn|l=ten thousand}}, which has the traditional form of {{zhi|c=萬}}.{{sfnp|Ramsey|1987|p=147}}