The characters evolved from the elongated curved lines of the early zhuan (seal) script, to the square, flat style of li (clerical) script, to the simplified but ordered cao (" free-flowing "or cursive) script, up to the writing systems of today, the kai (standard) script and the xing (" running" or semicursive) script, stylistically set midpoint between cao and kai.
一路開展下來，曲線圓寫、字呈長形的篆書；改圓為方、字體扁平的隸書；簡化不失規矩的草書；現今通行的楷書；介於楷、草間的行書。