Do you know?

你知道吗？

Chinese characters are actually a group of "living fossils" that have endured over three thousand years of time

汉字其实是一群穿越了三千多年时光的“活化石”

甲骨文—金文—大篆—小篆—隶书—楷书……

After countless "metamorphoses"

历经无数次“变形记”

It has only become what it is today

才变成今天的模样

Let's follow these square characters that can tell stories

让我们跟着这些会讲故事的方块字

Come on a wonderful journey across time and space ~

来一场跨越时空的奇妙旅行吧~

Oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties

商周时期的甲骨文

People of the Shang Dynasty over 3,600 years ago

3600多年前的商朝人

Paper and pens have not been invented yet

还没有发明纸和笔

They engraved the words on tortoise shells and animal bones

他们把文字刻在龟甲兽骨上

These earliest Chinese characters are like a series of "minimalist comics"

这些最早的汉字就像一幅幅“极简漫画”

Tips：

In Baishui County, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province, there are sites related to Cangjie's creation of characters, such as the Cangjie Temple and the Cangjie Character Creation Platform. Legend has it that Cangjie was the historian of the Yellow Emperor. He observed the footprints of birds and beasts on the ground and created pictographic characters. The "Cangsheng Bird Trace Stele" in the Cangjie Temple is engraved with 28 symbols, which are said to be the earliest Chinese characters created by Cangjie.

在陕西渭南市白水县，有仓颉庙和仓颉造字台等与仓颉造字相关的遗址。传说仓颉是黄帝的史官，他观察地上鸟兽的足迹，创造了象形文字。仓颉庙内的《仓圣鸟迹书碑》上刻有28个符号，据传就是仓颉创造的最早的汉字。

For example

比如

The character "北" represents two people standing back to back, indicating "opposite"

“北”字是两个人背靠背，表示“相反”

The character "休" depicts a person leaning against a tree, and it is obvious at a glance that it means "to rest"

“休”字是一个人靠在树上，一看就知道是“休息”

These vivid words are like the "ancient emoticons" left to us by our ancestors.

这些充满画面感的文字，就像古人留给我们的“远古表情包”。

Bronze inscriptions from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period

西周至春秋的金文

When the ancients learned to cast bronze wares

当古人学会铸造青铜器

Chinese characters have also witnessed their first "upgrade in appearance level"

汉字也迎来了第一次“颜值升级”

They were engraved on solemn bronze ritual vessels

它们被刻在庄严的青铜礼器上

The strokes become thick and round

笔画变得粗壮圆润

It's just like wearing a magnificent dress

就像穿上了华丽的礼服

For example

比如

The character "鼎" has transformed from the slender version in oracle bone script to the round and plump shape of a bronze vessel, with three steady legs

“鼎”字，从甲骨文的瘦长版变成了圆滚滚的青铜器模样，三只脚稳稳当当

The character "龙" is even more domineering. It has horns on its head and scales on its body, as if it could rise into the air at any moment

“龙”字更是霸气，头上有角，身上有鳞，仿佛随时会腾空而起

At this time, Chinese characters were not merely tools for recording

这时候的汉字，不仅是记录工具

It is even more an artistic decoration on bronze wares, with each stroke carrying a solemn sense of ceremony

更是青铜器上的艺术装饰，每一笔都带着庄重的仪式感

Seal script from the Warring States Period to the Qin Dynasty

战国至秦的篆书

During the Warring States Period

到了战国时期

The words began to "go their own way"

文字开始“各玩各的”

The characters vary greatly from place to place

不同地方文字差异很大

It was not until Qin Shi Huang unified the six states

直到秦始皇统一六国

Order "The book to be the same as the text"

下令“书同文”

A uniform font - seal script - was born

一种整齐划一的字体——篆书诞生了

Seal script is full of symmetrical beauty

篆书充满了对称美

It has given Chinese characters a unified "official font"

让汉字有了统一的“官方字体”

Just like formulating a set of "national standards" for Chinese characters

就像给汉字制定了一套“国家标准”

The transformation of fonts in the Han Dynasty

汉代汉字的“隶变革命”

The minor officials in the Han Dynasty wrote faster

汉代的小官吏们为了写得更快

Straighten and simplify the winding lines of seal script

把篆书那弯弯绕绕的线条拉直、简化

The four points of water in the character "鱼" have become horizontal strokes

“鱼”字的四点水变成了一横

The four legs of the character "马" have turned into horizontal hooks

“马”字的四条腿变成了横折钩

Chinese characters have thus bid farewell to the era of pictographic representation

汉字从此告别了象形时代

It has entered a new stage of symbolization

进入了符号化的新阶段

Regular script: The ultimate form of square characters

楷书：方块字的终极定型

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Chinese characters entered their final "shaping period"

魏晋时期，汉字迎来了最终的“定型期”

Regular script was born

楷书诞生了

The strokes are clear and the structure is square

笔画清晰，结构方正

Every character is neatly placed in the square

每一个字都规规矩矩地待在方格中

"Horizontal and vertical alignment" is its principle

“横平竖直”是它的准则

"Expansive strokes" is its style

“撇捺舒展”是它的风度

From the "free growth" of oracle bone script to the "standardized and orderly" of regular script

从甲骨文的“自由生长”到楷书的“规范有序”

Chinese characters have become one of the most unique writing systems in the world

汉字成为世界上最独特的文字之一

The Xi 'an Stele Forest is a treasure trove of ancient Chinese stele art, housing a large number of steles, among which there are many related to the development of Chinese characters and calligraphy art. These inscriptions not only demonstrate the evolution process of Chinese characters but also reflect the calligraphic art styles of different periods. They are important materials for the study of Chinese character culture and calligraphic art.

西安碑林是中国古代碑刻艺术的宝库，收藏了大量的碑刻，其中不乏与汉字发展和书法艺术相关的碑刻。这些碑刻不仅展示了汉字的演变过程，也体现了不同时期的书法艺术风格，是研究汉字文化和书法艺术的重要资料。

Chinese characters are like an old man who is always young

汉字就像一位永远年轻的老人

It not only guards the ancient civilization

既守护着古老文明

He/She is also adept at modern technology

又玩转着现代科技

It is not only a writing tool

它不仅是书写工具

It is even more the "cultural gene" of the Chinese people

更是中国人的“文化基因”

Today, it's a good day to enter the "museum"

今日，宜进“馆”

Come to the Stele Forest Museum to explore the charm of "characters"!

快来碑林博物馆一探“字”的芳华吧！

Let me ask quietly, what do you think Chinese characters will evolve into in the future? 

悄悄问一句，你觉得未来的汉字还会演变成什么样？