Jiu zixing

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jiu zixing (

Ming Dynasty, and is also known as Kyūjitai
in Japan. It also refers to the characters used in China before the Chinese writing reform and the issuing of the 1964 List of Character Forms of Common Chinese characters for Publishing.

Broadly speaking, jiu zixing also refers to the character forms used in printing Chinese before reformation by national standardization, e.g. xin zixing (Chinese: 新字形; pinyin: xīn zìxíng; Jyutping: san1 zi6jing4; lit. 'New character form') in mainland China, Standard Form of National Characters in Taiwan, and List of Graphemes of Commonly-Used Chinese Characters in Hong Kong. Jiu zixing is generally the opposite form of the standards. The representative books that used jiu zixing include Kangxi Dictionary, Zhongwen Da Cidian, Dai Kan-Wa Jiten, Chinese-Korean Dictionary, and Zhonghua Da Zidian.

There are several standards of jiu zixing developed by scholars before, but there is no single enforced standard. Variations of jiu zixing standard can be seen in Kangxi Dictionary, Old Chinese printing form, Korean

MingLiU
in Windows 98 and earlier versions; slight differences may occur between different jiu zixing standards. Currently there are also open-sourced communities that develop and maintain modern jiu zixing standards that are based on and/or unify other jiu zixing forms from academic research.

Origin

During the woodblock printing era, words were usually carved in handwritten form (regular script) as each woodblock is different, making the work to produce each printed book tedious. The development of wooden movable type during the Song dynasty caused the Chinese characters to take on a more rectangular form following the wood texture. Vertical strokes were thickened to reduce engraving loss, while a small triangle was added at the end of horizontal strokes and the start of vertical strokes to improve the legibility of text even after the pieces are worn out by long-term use. As the character styles started to differ widely from regular script, the calligraphic methods used on regular scripts could not be used on movable type characters and a new distinctive style designated for movable type was born. This style was developed fully during the Ming dynasty, which has now evolved into Ming typefaces.[1]

Comparing movable type and woodblock styles, it can be noticed that movable type characters – which are the basis of jiu zixing today – are different from the random and changing nature of handwritten regular script, and emphasize clear strokes and the beautiful, symmetric structure of characters. Movable type characters also emphasize the philology aspects of Chinese characters more so than regular script.

Characteristics

Compared to regular script form and xin zixing, which is based on regular script form, jiu zixing has many differences from

inherited name
.

From appearance

  • Breaking of strokes:[2] In components such as 𠃊, 𠄌, and 𡿨, where the connection of compound strokes may be complicated, vertical strokes are extended outward from diagonal strokes, and horizontal strokes extend outward from vertical strokes.[3]
    • Stable leg: In components such as , , , and , both sides of the character should have the legs extended, i.e. obeying the breaking of the 𠃊 stroke to stabilize the character and prevent tipping from occurring. It is hard to achieve this stable form following Xin zixing standards.
  • No prevention of heavy press strokes (避重捺): When two or more presses (, ) appear in a single character, keep both presses instead of changing one of the presses to a dot (/, ). Examples: the last stroke of , the eighth stroke of .
    • Last press strokes (末捺): Characters that contain components with the last stroke as a press, such as , , , should not convert the press to a dot when it is unnecessary, for example at the right side or bottom of a character.
    • Start of press: Some jiu zixing standards add an extra stroke at the start of a press, for example an upward horizontal stroke (, ) before a press (such as ) or a horizontal stroke (, ㇐)[clarification needed] before a press (such as , ).
  • · : The last stroke is a dot-upward horizontal stroke (点挑).
  • : First stroke is a throw-dot stroke (撇点, ㇛)[clarification needed], not a throw-upward horizontal stroke (撇折,㇜)[clarification needed][note 1].
  • : The bottom should be a shape of 𡭔[clarification needed] intimating silk-like coil, not or three dots[note 2].
  • : Written as dot, dot, horizontal-vertical, upward horizontal–flat press (平捺), not like the of regular script or xin zixing .
  • : The first stroke is a wilted dot (or vertical dot, 竖点)[note 3].
  • : The last stroke is a horizontal stroke[note 4].

From philology

  • : Not as . Some characters in regular script are written with a dot;[note 5] it is a wilted dot in jiu zixing, such as , , , . Etymologically, the first stroke comes from the shape of a person's head or the top of a building.
  • 𠄞 (二):[clarification needed] Some characters in regular script are written with a dot[note 6]; it is a horizontal stroke in jiu zixing, such as the characters , , , , . Etymologically, the first horizontal stroke mostly comes from the component or , or from the indicating symbol in (representing the top of 'tongue').
  • : Not as . Examples: , , .
  • : Follows not as ().
  • : The top part follows 二. Not as .
  • : Follows with extra throw (丿), not as with extra dot.
  • : The structure of throw-dot (撇—点) on top of a horizontal stroke in a few characters such as , , ; this component should not be a shape.
  • : Follows (ice), not as two dots ().
  • : Follows [note 7], shaped like a person kneeling, not as .
  • : The right side follows , not as .
  • : The third stroke is a throw (, 丿), not a dot (, )[note 8].

Separated components

  • · : First is for , , etc.; second is for , , etc.
  • · 𠤎: First is for , , , 鹿 etc.; second is for , etc.
  • · Right side of [note 9]: First is for , , etc.; second is for , , etc.
  • · Right side of [note 10]: First is for , , , etc.; second is for , , , , etc.
  • · [note 11] · '[note 12] · Left side of [note 13]: Respectively for // (moon-related); // (meat-related); //; //.
  • [note 14] · : First is for , etc.; second is for , , etc.
  • · Right side of : First is for , , , etc.; second is for , , 歿, etc.
  • · Top of [note 15]: First is for , , etc.; second is for , , etc.
  • 𧶠 · : First is for , , , , etc.,𧶠 is the vocal part of pictophonetic characters; second is for [note 16].

Classifications

Kangxi Dictionary

The Kangxi Dictionary is viewed as a standardization of jiu zixing and its character forms are referenced by multiple standards. In Taiwan it can generally mean jiu zixing. This name may also refer to the computer font TypeLand 康熙字典體. The Kangxi Dictionary has a few taboo words, such as and , which should be corrected in current use.

Example font

Standard printing characters in Korea

Character forms depicted in KS X 1001 and KS X 1002 can usually be used as jiu zixing, but some fonts may not adhere to the Kangxi Dictionary. For example, the first stroke of is a wilted dot (or vertical dot, 竖点, ), some components of are made to[clarification needed] , etc.

Kyūjitai in Japan

This is the character form used before Japan released the JIS X 0218 standard (later expanded to JIS X 2013). In 2004, the revised version JIS X 0213:2004 changed some character forms back to Kyūjitai.[4] Some characters have two or more forms listed.

Other amorphous jiu zixing orthography standards

Character forms before the Chinese Character Reformation

Before the Chinese Character Reformation, normal printing presses used jiu zixing as the character standard.

Current-generation amorphous standards

The style follows jiu zixing forms and styles, but some

fonts may change the strokes to follow the current standard and become xin zixing
, and not fully follow the character forms in jiu zixing or the Kangxi Dictionary.

Licensed fonts
  • Taiwanese font foundries
    • Arphic Technology
      • 文鼎黑體
      • 文鼎書苑黑體
      • 文鼎明體
      • 文鼎圓體
    • DynaComware
      • 華康黑體 (Except 細黑/W3)
      • 細明體 (Version 5.03 and later follows the Standard Form of National Characters
        Character form following the Standard Form of National Characters after MingLiU update package
      • 華康明體
      • 華康圓體
  • Chinese font foundries
    • FounderType
      • 方正新秀麗
      • 方正平黑
      • 方正粗黑
      • 華光秀麗體
      • 方正幼線_BIG5
      • 方正蘭亭黑_BIG5 (built-in font as 蘭亭黑-繁 in macOS)
      • 方正粗圓_BIG5
  • Korean font foundries
    • New Batang
    • New Gulim
    • New Gungsuh (This standard script font follows jiu zixing, which may have some character forms out of place compared to other regular script fonts, such as having two dots)
  • Japanese font foundries
    • 森澤UD黎明體B5HK
Modified fonts
  • 明蘭 (Merged and modified from メイリオ and 方正蘭亭黑)
  • 新明蘭 (Merged and modified from メイリオ, 方正蘭亭黑 and 微軟雅黑)
  • 新月蘭 (Merged and modified from 新ゴ and 方正蘭亭黑)
  • 不明體 (Merged and modified from ヒラギノ明朝, 小塚明朝, etc.)
  • 靑楓黑體 (Old name: Zauri Sans/塚源黑體; merged and modified from 小塚ゴシック/思源黑體)
  • 雲林黑體 (Old name: 冬青黑體舊字形; modified from 冬青黑體/ヒラギノ角ゴシック)
  • 汀明體 (Modified from 細明體)
  • 韓明體 (Modified from Korean New Batang)
  • 光明體 (Modified from 華康明朝體W3-A)
  • 一點明體 (Modified from TB明朝)
  • 小塚明朝舊字形 (Modified from 小塚明朝)
  • 源樣明體 (Merged and modified from 思源宋體 and 본명조(本明朝)
  • 源樣黑體 (Merged and modified from 思源黑體 and 본고딕(本고딕)

Notes

  1. ^ Some script styles (e.g. Liu Ti) also write this stroke as a throw-dot.
  2. ^ Some script styles (e.g. Liu Ti) also write the bottom part as a shape of "𡭔".
  3. ^ Some script styles also write this stroke as a wilted dot.
  4. ^ Some script styles also write this stroke as a horizontal stroke.
  5. ^ Some script styles also write this stroke as a wilted dot.
  6. ^ Sometimes it is also written as a horizontal stroke.
  7. ^ A variant of .
  8. ^ Some script styles also write this stroke as a throw.
  9. ^ A variant of .
  10. ^ A variant of .
  11. ^ A variant of .
  12. ^ A variant of "丹".
  13. ^ A variant of .
  14. ^ A variant of / when at bottom.
  15. ^ Shape like with a dot at bottom right corner.
  16. ^ Simplified character is .

References

  1. ^ "漢字書体の歴史" [History of Kanji Typefaces]. Kinkido Type Laboratory (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  2. ^ Derek Zech (2015-07-18). "大陆新字形宋体中的「避重捺」是什么?有何优势?".
  3. ^ 趙瑾昀 (2014-05-15). "宋體、明朝體等印刷體是如何產生的?".
  4. ^ https://warp.da.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/10217941/www.jisc.go.jp/newstopics/2005/040220kanjicode.pdf (in Japanese)

See also

External links

Hong Kong Character Set Project