The written Chinese language is one of the oldest active languages today, dating from the Shang Dynasty, more than 3, years ago, and is used by approximately 1. Chinese characters in the written language can be very intricate, ornate and beautiful; therefore it is really no surprise that writing the characters is considered an art form, known as Chinese calligraphy. The literal definition of the word calligraphy is simply "good writing", but in the sense of Chinese calligraphy, the meaning goes deeper than simply writing the characters, or even striving to make the characters look beautiful. It is considered to be an art form requiring mental disciple, which involves both the body and soul.
Chinese calligraphy | Description, History, & Facts | Britannica
Chinese calligraphy , the stylized artistic writing of Chinese characters, the written form of Chinese that unites the languages many mutually unintelligible spoken in China. Because calligraphy is considered supreme among the visual arts in China, it sets the standard by which Chinese painting is judged. Indeed, the two arts are closely related. The early Chinese written words were simplified pictorial images, indicating meaning through suggestion or imagination.
Jessica Bordeau is a soon-graduated student whose primary interests are Photography and Media. More about Jessica Bordeau …. Earlier issues. The beauty of typography has no borders. While most of us work with the familiar Latin alphabet, international projects usually require quite extensive knowledge about less familiar writing systems from around the world.
The Chinese writing system is an unique phenomenon in the modern world of alphabet scripts. Instead of a few dozen letters, it has developed thousands of complex signs or "characters" that represent morphemes and words. Even related writing systems such as Japanese and Korean , while sharing many of the same characters, can fully function as purely phonetic scripts.