Art of Chinese Seal Engraving 中国篆刻

熊娟娟

中国篆刻是以汉字为表象的一门独特的镌刻艺术，它既强调中国书法的笔法、结构，又突出镌刻中自由、酣畅的艺术表达，于方寸间施展技艺，抒发情感。2009 年，中國篆刻被列入《人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录》。

Chinese seal 1）engraving is a traditional art form， which isnamed after the seal characters used in ancient seals. It is the artof making seals by combining calligraphy and engraving （includingchiseling and casting）. In terms of the productionprocess， it refers to the design onthe panel of the pattern ortext engraved in metal，stone， ivory， horn andother materials.

With a history of thousands of years， Chinese seal engravingoriginated from the Spring and Autumn Period. Since the Qinand Han dynasties， seal engraving gradually combined with sealmaking， becoming a unique form of painting and carving. The Mingand Qing dynasties is a 2）prosperous period. A literati seal carvingmovement has produced many schools， presenting many greatengravers， such as Deng Shiru， Chen Hongshou， Wu Changshuoand so on. They have great 3）innovation in knife techniques， stonematerials and other aspects， pushing seal engraving to the peak.

The techniques of seal engraving include carving， stamping，and 4）sculpture. Carving is the most common method， using acarving knife to engrave characters or patterns on the seal orstone. Stamping involves applying ink to the engraved seal andpressing it onto paper or other materials with a certain force.Sculpture is the process of carving stones or other materials intovarious shapes using engraving tools.

Chinese seal engraving is of artistic quality as well as5）utility. Seal works are often composed of square characters andconcise yet powerful lines， vivid and full of charm. Through skillfulcomposition and unique brushwork， seal engravers enhancethe aesthetics and artistic value of their work. This require sealengravers to have solid seal engraving skills and profound artisticaccomplishments. In the process of creation， the seal engraverneeds to consider the details of font shape， composition and penuse， with the engraving to be accurate， stretched and powerful，and the engraving marks to be neat and orderly.

Another notable feature of Chinese seal engraving is its rich connotation and significance. Seal works often 6）incorporatethe essence of fine traditional Chinese culture， includingConfucianism， Taoism， and Buddhism. By precisely carving andrefining the characters， seal engravers convey their spiritualinsights and understanding of the world.

It is clearly seen that Chinese seal engraving not onlyemphasizes the brushwork and structure of Chinese calligraphy，but also highlights the free and smooth artistic expression inengraving. Displaying skills and expressing emotions in the squareinch， Chinese seal engraving is deeply loved by Chinese literatiand ordinary people.

Chinese seal engraving can not only be independentlyappreciated as art works， but also widely used in painting andcalligraphy works and other fields. Its rich cultural connotationmakes it a typical icon of the nations remarkable traditionalculture.

1） engrave v. 雕刻；镌刻

2） prosperous adj. 繁荣的

3） innovation n. 创新；革新

4） sculpture n. 雕刻；雕纹

5） utility n. 实用性

6） incorporate v. 包含，将……纳入

中国篆刻是一种传统的艺术形式，因古代印章多采用篆书入印而得名。它是用書法和镌刻（包括凿、铸）结合，来制作印章的艺术。就制作工艺而言，篆刻是指把在平面上设计好的纹样或文字镌刻在金属、石头、象牙、犀角等材质上。

中国篆刻至今已有数千年历史，起源于春秋时期。秦汉以来，篆刻逐渐与印章结合，成为一种特殊的绘画和雕刻形式。明清则是兴盛时期，一场文人篆刻运动产生了许多流派，出现了许多篆刻大师，如邓石如、陈鸿寿、吴昌硕等人。他们在刀法、用料等方面都有极大创新，将篆刻推向顶峰。

篆刻的技法包括刻写、压印和雕琢等。刻写是其中最常见的方法，使用刻刀在印章或石材上刻下文字或图案。压印是把油墨涂在刻好的印章上，然后以一定的力度印在纸上或其他材质上。雕琢是利用雕刻工具将石材或其他材料雕刻成各种形状。

中国篆刻不仅具有实用性，还兼具艺术性。篆刻作品常常由方块字和简洁有力的线条组成，形象生动而富有韵味。篆刻家通过精妙的构图和独特的用笔技法，使作品更具观赏性和艺术性，因此篆刻对篆刻家的篆刻技巧和艺术修养要求极高。在创作过程中，篆刻家需要考虑字形、构图和用笔等方面的细节，并且要刀法准确、舒展有力，刀痕整齐有序。

中国篆刻的另一个显著特点是丰富的内涵和意蕴。篆刻作品常常融入了中华优秀传统文化的精华，包括儒家思想、道家哲学和佛教教义等。通过对文字的精准雕刻和精炼表达，篆刻家将自己的心灵感悟和对世界的理解融到作品之中。

显而易见，中国篆刻既强调中国书法的笔法、结构，也突出镌刻中自由、酣畅的艺术表达。篆刻于方寸间施展技艺、抒发情感，深受中国文人及普通民众的喜爱。

中国篆刻既可作为艺术作品独立欣赏，又广泛应用于书画创作等领域，具有丰富的文化内涵，是中华民族优秀传统文化的典型符号之一。