Small seal script | |
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Script type | |
Time period | c. 500 BC – c. 200 AD |
Languages | Old Chinese |
Related scripts | |
Parent systems | (Proto-writing)
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Child systems | Clerical script |
Small seal script | |||||||||||||
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Chinese | 小篆 | ||||||||||||
Literal meaning | small seal | ||||||||||||
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Qin script | |||||||||||||
Chinese | 秦篆 | ||||||||||||
Literal meaning | Qin seal | ||||||||||||
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The small seal script is an archaic script style of written Chinese. It developed within the state of Qin during the Eastern Zhou dynasty (771–256 BC), and was then promulgated across China in order to replace script varieties used in other ancient Chinese states following Qin's wars of unification and establishment of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) under Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.