Lệnh thư

Vietnamese writing script that was used during the Revival Lê dynasty From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lệnh thư (chữ Hán: 令書; 'edict script')[3][4] is a writing style for Chinese characters (chữ Hán) and chữ Nôm in Vietnamese calligraphy. It was first developed during the Revival Lê dynasty.[5] It was mainly at first used for official edict by the emperor and by officials in the imperial court,[6] but then became widely used in all of Vietnam. It is not used in other countries that also use Chinese characters (such as China, Korea, and Japan) but rather is unique to Vietnam.[7]

Script type
Period
Revival Lê dynasty to 19th century, present (limited usage)
Quick facts Lệnh thư 令書, Script type ...
Lệnh thư
令書
A close up image of an edict dated 1765 during the reign of Cảnh Hưng, showing Chinese characters written in Lệnh thư.
Script type
Period
Revival Lê dynasty to 19th century, present (limited usage)
LanguagesLiterary Chinese, Vietnamese
Related scripts
Parent systems
Child systems
Regular script
Chữ Nôm
 This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and  , see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
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Vietnamese alphabetLệnh thư
chữ Lệnh
Nam tự[1]
chữ Nam[2]
Hán-Nôm令書
𡨸令
南字
𡨸南
Quick facts Vietnamese name, Vietnamese alphabet ...
Lệnh thư
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetLệnh thư
chữ Lệnh
Nam tự[1]
chữ Nam[2]
Hán-Nôm令書
𡨸令
南字
𡨸南
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Characteristics

The writing script is defined by its distinct sharp upward hooks. It has strokes that are merged, similar to the style seen in cursive script. Even though the script has merged strokes and is written quickly, it is just as readable as regular script is. In the essay Vũ trung tùy bút (雨中隨筆), Phạm Đình Hổ wrote that the edict script mimics the style of cursive script (chữ thảo, 𡨸草), which is described as imitating the motion of a sword dance.[8] But the edict script underwent changes where strokes were written fluidly with distinctive hooks. He further explains that it seems that it also developed influences from the cursive script and other scripts used traditionally in Chinese calligraphy.[9]

History

The script first appeared during the Lê trung hưng period (Revival Lê dynasty). During the reign of Quang Hưng (光興, Lê Thế Tông), Phạm Đình Hổ also describes the writing of that time period (1599) to be more flamboyant with characters taking on the appearance of 'curved heads and twisted legs'.[10]

See also

Further reading

References

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