What are Zhu Wen and Bai Wen?

Zhu Wen means that the words on the surface of the seal are raised, so it is also called Yang Wen. Bai Wen means that the words on the printed surface are concave, so it is also called Yin Wen.

This is the classification of the characters on the seal: Zhu Wen and Bai Wen.

note:

Vernacular writing can also refer to the writing used by Bai people in China. Especially the characters used by Bai people in China. Bai people mainly live in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, as well as Lijiang, Baoshan, Kunming, Bijie and Sangzhi, Hunan.

Historically, Bai people used to use a written recording language transformed from Chinese characters, which looks like the structure of Chinese characters and is now called "dialect". Due to the irregular writing and the lack of recording rules, the square vernacular has been basically lost.

Extended data:

A seal, also known as a seal, is a stationery printed on a document to indicate identity or signature. Generally, seals are dyed with pigments before printing. Those that are not stained with pigment and will appear concave and convex after being printed on a flat surface are called steel seals, and some are wax prints printed on wax or wax or envelopes. Made of metal, wood, stone, jade, etc.

1, ancient seal of the Warring States Period

Ancient seal is the general name of pre-Qin seal. Most of the earliest seals we can see now are ancient seals in the Warring States period. The strokes of seals are as thin as hair, and they are all cast. The ancient seal script in white language is made by adding more side bars or vertical grids in the middle, and the characters are cast and chiseled. In addition to the names of Sima and Situ, the official seal has various irregular shapes, and the content is also engraved with auspicious words and vivid objects.

2. Qin seal

Qin Zhuan refers to the popular seal from the end of the Warring States Period to the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, and the characters used are called. Look at its calligraphy style and Qin and Han dynasties, Qin stone carvings and other characters are very similar, are more popular and easy to understand than the ancient prose of the Warring States period.

Qin seals are mostly carved in white with a square surface. The official seal used by junior officials is about half the size of the general square official seal, rectangular and square, which is called "semi-pass seal".

Private seals are generally rectangular, but also round and oval. In addition to official names, personal names and Kyrgyz, there are proverbs and idioms such as "respecting things", "thinking about success" and "being harmonious with the people".

3. Official seal of Han Dynasty

Broadly speaking, it is a general term for official seal from Han Dynasty to Wei and Jin Dynasties. Compared with Qin Zhuan, the seal is more neat, straight, square and vigorous in style.

At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the handicraft industry was very developed, so the official seal ("Xin" was the name of Wang Mang's dynasty) was particularly exquisite and vivid in the times. seal cutting in the Han Dynasty reached its peak and became a model for later seal engravers to learn. The official seals of the two Han dynasties are mostly white, all of which are cast. Only a few troops are in urgent need of carving the official seal of the brothers instead of casting it, which will be introduced later.

Baidu encyclopedia-seal

Baidu Encyclopedia-Bai Wen

Baidu Encyclopedia-Zhu Wen

Baidu Encyclopedia-Wen Yin