Regular script

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Style for writing Chinese characters

title: "Regular script" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chinese-script-style"] description: "Style for writing Chinese characters" topic_path: "geography/china" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Style for writing Chinese characters ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox writing system"]

Field	Value
name	Regular script
type	Logographic
time	present
fam1	Oracle bone script
fam2	Small seal script
fam3	Clerical script
sample	Kaishu.png
imagesize	100px
caption	"Kaishu" written in traditional (left) and simplified (right) forms
unicode	{{ubli
ipa-note	no
module	{{Infobox Chinese
child	yes
s	楷书
t	楷書
l	model script
p	kǎishū
w
j	kaai2 syu1
y	kaái syū
gd	kai2 xu1
s2	真书
t2	真書
l2	real script
p2	zhēnshū
w2
j2	zan1 syu1
y2	jān syū
gd2	zen1 xu1
c3	正楷
l3	correct model
p3	zhèngkǎi
w3
j3	zing3 kaai2
y3	jing kaái
gd3	jing3 kai2
s4	楷体
t4	楷體
l4	model form
p4	kǎitǐ
w4
j4	kaai2 tai2
y4	kaái tái
gd4	kai2 tei2
s5	正书
t5	正書
l5	correct script
p5	zhèngshū
w5
j5	zing3 syu1
y5	jing syū
gd5	jing3 xu1
kanji	楷書
hiragana	かいしょ
romaji	Kaisho
qn
hn
::

Ming typefaces
Fangsong | sample = Kaishu.png | imagesize = 100px | caption = "Kaishu" written in traditional (left) and simplified (right) forms | unicode = {{ubli | U+4E00–U+9FFF
| (full list) | ipa-note = no | module = {{Infobox Chinese | child = yes | s = 楷书 | t = 楷書 | l = model script | p = kǎishū | w = | j = kaai2 syu1 | y = kaái syū | gd = kai2 xu1 | s2 = 真书 | t2 = 真書 | l2 = real script | p2 = zhēnshū | w2 = | j2 = zan1 syu1 | y2 = jān syū | gd2 = zen1 xu1 | c3 = 正楷 | l3 = correct model | p3 = zhèngkǎi | w3 = | j3 = zing3 kaai2 | y3 = jing kaái | gd3 = jing3 kai2 | s4 = 楷体 | t4 = 楷體 | l4 = model form | p4 = kǎitǐ | w4 = | j4 = kaai2 tai2 | y4 = kaái tái | gd4 = kai2 tei2 | s5 = 正书 | t5 = 正書 | l5 = correct script | p5 = zhèngshū | w5 = | j5 = zing3 syu1 | y5 = jing syū | gd5 = jing3 xu1 | kanji = 楷書 | hiragana = かいしょ | romaji = Kaisho | qn = | hn =

The regular script is the newest of the major Chinese script styles, emerging during the Three Kingdoms period , and stylistically mature by the 7th century. It is the most common style used in modern text. In its traditional form it is the third-most common in publishing after the Ming and Gothic types used exclusively in print.

History

The Xuanhe Calligraphy Manual () credits with creating the regular script, based on the clerical script of the early Han dynasty (202 BCE220 CE). It became popular during the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods, with Zhong Yao (230), a calligrapher in the state of Cao Wei (220–266), being credited as its first master, known as the father of regular script. His famous works include the , , and . Palaeographer Qiu Xigui describes the script in Xuanshi biao as:

However, very few wrote in this script at the time other than a few literati; most continued writing in the neo-clerical script, or a hybrid form of semi-cursive and neo-clerical. The regular script did not become dominant until the 5th century during the early Northern and Southern period (420–589); there was a variety of the regular script which emerged from neo-clerical as well as regular scripts known as or . Thus, the regular script is descended both from the early semi-cursive style as well as from the neo-clerical script.

The script is considered to have become stylistically mature during the Tang dynasty (618–907), with the most famous and oft-imitated calligraphers of that period being the early Tang's Four Great Calligraphers (初唐四大家): Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang, and Xue Ji, as well as the tandem of Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan.

During the Northern Song (960–1127), Emperor Huizong created an iconic style known as . During the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322) also became known for his own calligraphic style for the regular script, called .

92 rules governing the fundamental structure of regular script were established during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912); the calligrapher wrote a guidebook illustrating these rules, with four characters provided as an example for each.

Characteristics

The Eight Principles of Yong encapsulate varieties of most strokes that appear in the regular script. Regular script characters with dimensions larger than 5 cm are usually classified as 'large' (); those smaller than 2 cm are usually classified as 'small' (), and those in between are 'medium' ().

Notable works written in regular script include the Northern and Southern-era Records of Yao Boduo Sculpturing (姚伯多造像記) and Tablet of General Guangwu (廣武將軍碑), the Sui-era Tablet of Longzang Temple (龍藏寺碑), Tombstone Record of Sui Xiaoci (蘇孝慈墓誌), and Tombstone Record of Beauty Tong (董美人墓誌), and the Tang-era Sweet Spring at Jiucheng Palace (九成宮醴泉銘).

Derivative styles

Fangsong typefaces are based on a printed style which developed during the Song dynasty (970–1279)
The most common printed typeface styles, Ming and sans-serif, are based on Fangsong
Japanese textbook typefaces are based on regular script, but modified so that they appear to be written with a pencil or pen. They also follow the jōyō kanji character forms.
The bopomofo semi-syllabograms are nearly always written using regular script strokes.

Computer typefaces

Gallery

宣示表.jpg|Xuanshi Biao by Zhong Yao, written during the early transition from clerical script to regular script Sheng jiao xu.jpg| Sheng Jiao Xu by Chu Suiliang, an example of regular script

Notes

乎陰陽而易識者以其有象也陰陽處乎天地而難窮}}}}

References

Citations

Sources

References

"Chinese Writing". Asia Society.
(2024). "Huizong". Encyclopædia Britannica.

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