Art of Chinese Seal Engraving 中國篆刻

熊娟娟

中國篆刻是以漢字為表象的一門獨特的鐫刻藝術，它既強調中國書法的筆法、結構，又突出鐫刻中自由、酣暢的藝術表達，于方寸間施展技藝，抒發情感。2009 年，中國篆刻被列入《人類非物質文化遺產代表作名錄》。

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；鐫刻

2） prosperous adj. 繁榮的

3） innovation n. 創新；革新

4） sculpture n. 雕刻；雕紋

5） utility n. 實用性

6） incorporate v. 包含，將……納入

中國篆刻是一種傳統的藝術形式，因古代印章多采用篆書入印而得名。它是用書法和鐫刻（包括鑿、鑄）結合，來制作印章的藝術。就制作工藝而言，篆刻是指把在平面上設計好的紋樣或文字鐫刻在金屬、石頭、象牙、犀角等材質上。

中國篆刻至今已有數千年歷史，起源于春秋時期。秦漢以來，篆刻逐漸與印章結合，成為一種特殊的繪畫和雕刻形式。明清則是興盛時期，一場文人篆刻運動產生了許多流派，出現了許多篆刻大師，如鄧石如、陳鴻壽、吳昌碩等人。他們在刀法、用料等方面都有極大創新，將篆刻推向頂峰。

篆刻的技法包括刻寫、壓印和雕琢等。刻寫是其中最常見的方法，使用刻刀在印章或石材上刻下文字或圖案。壓印是把油墨涂在刻好的印章上，然后以一定的力度印在紙上或其他材質上。雕琢是利用雕刻工具將石材或其他材料雕刻成各種形狀。

中國篆刻不僅具有實用性，還兼具藝術性。篆刻作品常常由方塊字和簡潔有力的線條組成，形象生動而富有韻味。篆刻家通過精妙的構圖和獨特的用筆技法，使作品更具觀賞性和藝術性，因此篆刻對篆刻家的篆刻技巧和藝術修養要求極高。在創作過程中，篆刻家需要考慮字形、構圖和用筆等方面的細節，并且要刀法準確、舒展有力，刀痕整齊有序。

中國篆刻的另一個顯著特點是豐富的內涵和意蘊。篆刻作品常常融入了中華優秀傳統文化的精華，包括儒家思想、道家哲學和佛教教義等。通過對文字的精準雕刻和精煉表達，篆刻家將自己的心靈感悟和對世界的理解融到作品之中。

顯而易見，中國篆刻既強調中國書法的筆法、結構，也突出鐫刻中自由、酣暢的藝術表達。篆刻于方寸間施展技藝、抒發情感，深受中國文人及普通民眾的喜愛。

中國篆刻既可作為藝術作品獨立欣賞，又廣泛應用于書畫創作等領域，具有豐富的文化內涵，是中華民族優秀傳統文化的典型符號之一。