Other scripts can, of course, also be used for decorative purposes. So, for example, the Roman alphabet was used in manuscripts of the Middle Ages, where the initial letter of each chapter was elaborately ornamented with figures of flowers, birds, and beasts. But no other script can match China's in the richness of its formal elements.
當然，像西方的字母也可以因裝飾化而產生圖案式的美術字，如中古歐洲的聖經或聖歌集，常在章節起頭的第一個字母，加上非常繁複的花草鳥獸裝飾，但仍然無法像漢字那麼具備豐富的造形因素。