Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 207

1850.

The Shwok Wan, or Etymologicon.

181

10. When the august Emperor of the Tsin dynasty, known as the First (Tain Chí hwángtí) had united all the states of the empire un- der one general government, his prime minister Lí Sz' addressed a memorial to the throne, requesting an act of uniformity, and that whatever was found not conformed to the standards of the state might be abolished. This minister himself wrote a treatise on the character invented by Ts'ángkieh, Chau Káu, another statesman of high rank, wrote a historical memoir on the language; and his majesty's historio- grapher Hú Wúking, wrote the Great Instructor, a treatise on moral philosophy. These three authors all employed the seal character in- vented by Sz'chau; and being somewhat abbreviated and modified by them, it was called the Lesser, in contradistinction to the former, the Greater seal character.

11. It was at this time that the monarch of Tsin burnt the classics, and annihilated all the ancient codes. He also banished a great many officers and sent forth armed expeditions. As the business of the of ficers in the public service became very multifarious, the official method of writing was introduced, in order to secure greater accuracy and dispatch; and by this means it was that the ancient form, the kú wan, ceased to be used.

12. Of the various forms of writing introduced prior to this date, eight are enumerated as existing under the Tsin dynasty, which are thus designated

1. Tá chuen, the Greater Seal character;

2. Siáu chuen, the Lesser Seal character;

3. Kih fú, the Engraved check; 4. Chung shú, the Insect picture; 5. Mú yin, the Stamp signet;

6. Shuh shú, the Portal writing;

7. Li shú, the Official writing.

13. After the rise of the Hán dynasty the running-hand form of writing came into vogue (sometimes called the tsáu shú

Grass character).

or

14. According to the code of laws called wei, instituted by the Hán dynasty, young students on arriving at the age of seventeen years, were to be instructed and examined in nine thousand of those charac- ters that had been invented by Sz'chau. Then if accepted they were considered eligible to the lower offices of state. Furthermore they were to be examined in the abovementioned eight forms of writing, and then reported by the magistrate to the literary chancellor, who,