User:Remsense/Chinese language reform
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| Traditional Chinese | 漢字改革 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 汉字改革 | ||||||||||||||||
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Chinese script reform
Background
[edit]Antiquity
[edit]The broadest trend in the evolution of Chinese characters over their history has been simplification, both in graphical shape (字形; zìxíng), the "external appearances of individual graphs", and in graphical form (字体; 字體; zìtǐ), "overall changes in the distinguishing features of graphic[al] shape and calligraphic style, [...] in most cases refer[ring] to rather obvious and rather substantial changes".[1] The traditional notion of an orderly procession of script styles, each suddenly appearing and displacing the one previous, has been disproven by later scholarship and archaeological work. Instead, scripts evolved gradually, with several coexisting in a given area.[2] Prior to the 20th century, the irregular use of character variants by scribes was pervasive. It was common for multiple variants of a character to appear within the same manuscript written by a single scribe. As an example of this variation, during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) the character meaning 'bright' was written as either 明 or 朙—with either 日 'SUN' or 囧 'WINDOW' on the left beside the 月 'MOON' component on the right. The Book of Han (111 AD) describes an earlier attempt made by King Xuan of Zhou (d. 782 BC) to unify character forms across the states of ancient China, with his chief chronicler having "[written] fifteen chapters describing" what is referred to as the large seal script.[3]
The traditional narrative, as also attested in the Shuowen Jiezi dictionary (c. 100 AD), is that the Qin small seal script that would later be imposed across China was originally derived from the Zhou big seal script with few modifications. However, the body of epigraphic evidence comparing the character forms used by scribes gives no indication of any real consolidation in character forms prior to the founding of the Qin.Following Qin's wars of unification that founded the imperial Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), Chancellor Li Si (d. 208 BC) attempted to universalize Qin small seal script across the country. Li prescribed the 朙 form for 'bright', but some scribes ignored this and continued to write the character as 明. However, the increased usage of 朙 was followed by the proliferation of a third variant 眀, with 目 'EYE' on the left—which had likely been derived as a contraction of 朙. Ultimately, 明 became the character's standard form.[4]
The Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) that inherited the Qin administration coincided with the perfection of clerical script through the process of libian.
Eastern Han period (1–300 CE)
[edit]Inscriptions in stone became common during the Eastern Han dynasty.[5]
Modern campaigns
[edit]Beginning in the modern era, Chinese conceptions about language rooted in Confucian lexicography and philology were increasingly challenged in part by ongoing contact with the Western world and its wholly distinct traditions focusing initially on grammar, and later the modern fields of linguistics.
- ^ Qiu 2000, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Qiu 2000, pp. 59–60, 66.
- ^ Bökset 2006, pp. 17–19.
- ^ Bökset 2006, p. 19.
- ^ Qiu 2000, p. 114.