《淮南子·泰族训》
苍颉最初创造文字，用来管理官吏，处理各种日常事务，使愚笨者不至于望事，聪明者能记录下久远的事情；但到了后来衰世时期，就有人利用文字私自刻写伪造骗人的文书，为有罪的人开脱，捏造虚假的文字以杀害无辜的人。
苍颉之初作书，以辩治百官，领理万事，愚者得以不忘，智者得以志远；至其衰也，为好刻伪书，以解有罪，以杀不辜。
Cangjie originally created writing in order to manage officials and deal with various daily affairs, so that the stupid would not be at a loss what to do, and the intelligent could record things that had happened long ago; but later on, during the period of decline, some people used writing to privately write and forge deceitful documents, to exonerate the guilty, and to fabricate false documents to kill innocent people.