宋体字产生及其在文字史上的意义

The Generation of the Song Typeface and Its Signification in the History of Chinese Characters

印刷体不是印刷术的自然产物。从唐宋以来,汉字印刷在相当长的历史时期是用手写体刻板,手写体虽然方便书写,但是含有草书成分,随意性也比较大,难以取得字形的权威性地位。宋、元、明的有些书坊刻本,刻售的戏曲小说,为了节省工时,降低成本,大量手写俗体。在典范楷书基础上,经过匠体的加工,在明代正德、嘉靖年间形成了宋体字。宋体字与手头书写字拉开距离,两者分道扬镳,形成了印刷、手写双轨平行的文字体制,这种二元结构具有一定的合理性。印刷宋体保持经典性,起到维持汉字的传承性的作用,而手写体方便灵活,以利日常使用,这是汉字发展史的一个进步。

The printed typeface is not the natural outcome of printing. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, the script had been used in print - plates because of its convenience. However, the script with cursive characters cannot be the authority. In the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, some printing workshops engaging in printing drama novels, modified the script on the base of the model regular script to save time and reduce cost. In the years of Zhengde Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the Song typeface was brought into being. The script and Song typeface coexisted in printing. The duality in printing was reasonable. The Song typeface remained classical to take the role of spreading the Chinese characters, and the script with convenience was in favor of use. That was a progress in the history of the Chinese characters.