Ancient Chinese Scripts
Jiaguwen 甲骨文 Oracle Bone Script, etched on tortoise shells and animal bones, was used for royal divination during the Shang Dynasty c. 1500 – 1000 BCE.
Jinwen 金文 Bronze Script, inscribed on cast bronze artifacts such as ritual wine vessels, bells, and cauldrons, dates from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties c. 1500 – 256 BCE.
Zhuanshu 篆書 Seal Script, became the standard formal script during the Qin Dynasty c. 221 – 207 BCE unification of China and its written language.
Lishu 隸書 Official/Clerical Script, which appeared c. 500 BCE, was used by government bureaucrats as a fast and efficient script until the Jin Dynasty c. 265 – 420 CE.