Identifying the Regional Differences in the Characters and the Calligraphic Styles of Wooden and Bamboo Scripts of the Zhanguo Period

本研究分析了从中国古代墓葬中出土的木本和竹本文字，并考察了秦始皇统一文字之前汉字和书法风格的地区差异。从楚国墓葬出土的木、竹文字与秦国墓葬出土的木、竹文字进行比较，可以明显看出秦国的文字在几何特征上更为统一和简化。例如，汉字左手边代表水的三条竖线，是仅在秦朝使用的简化形式。据推测，这种形式在秦统一后被接受为一般形式。

This study analyzed wooden and bamboo scripts excavated from the tombs of ancient China and examined the regional differences of Chinese characters and the calligraphy styles before the unification of the written letters by Shi Huangdi, the first Qin Emperor. In comparing the wooden and bamboo scripts excavated from a tomb in the Chu area and those in the Qin area, it became obvious that the letters in Qin were more uniform and simplified in their geometrical feature. For instance, sanzui, the three vertical lines representing water on the left-hand side of a Chinese character, was a simplified form used only in Qin Dynasty. It is assumed that this form was accepted as the general form after the unification by Qin.