Regular Script

Regular script
Type	Logographic
Languages	Old Chinese, Middle Chinese, Modern Chinese
Time period	Bronze Age China, Iron Age China, Present day
Parent systems	Oracle Bone Script Bronze Script Seal Script Clerical Script Regular script
Child systems	Kanji Kana Hanja Zhuyin Simplified Chinese Chu Nom Khitan script Jurchen script Tangut script Nü Shu
Unicode range	4E00–9FFF, 3400–4DBF, 20000–2A6DF, 2A700–2B734, 2F00–2FDF, F900–FAFF

Regular script
Chinese characters of "Regular Script" in traditional characters (left) and in the simplified form (right).
Traditional Chinese	楷書
Simplified Chinese	楷书
Literal meaning	model script
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin kǎishū Wade–Giles k'ai3-shu1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization kaái syū Jyutping kaai² syu¹ Canton Romanization kai² xu¹
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	真書
Simplified Chinese	真书
Literal meaning	real script
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin zhēnshū Wade–Giles chên1-shu1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization jān syū Jyutping zan¹ syu¹ Canton Romanization zen¹ xu¹
Second alternative Chinese name
Chinese	正楷
Literal meaning	correct model
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin zhèngkǎi Wade–Giles chêng4-k'ai3 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization jing kaái Jyutping zing³ kaai² Canton Romanization jing³ kai²
Third alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	楷體
Simplified Chinese	楷体
Literal meaning	model form
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin kǎitǐ Wade–Giles k'ai3-t'i3 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization kaái tái Jyutping kaai² tai² Canton Romanization kai² tei²
Fourth alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	正書
Simplified Chinese	正书
Literal meaning	correct script
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin zhèngshū Wade–Giles chêng4-shu1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization jing syū Jyutping zing³ syu¹ Canton Romanization jing³ xu¹

Regular script (traditional Chinese: 楷書; simplified Chinese: 楷书; pinyin: kǎishū; Hepburn: kaisho), also called 正楷 (pinyin: zhèngkǎi), 真書 (zhēnshū), 楷體 (kǎitǐ) and 正書 (zhèngshū), is the newest of the Chinese script styles (appearing by the Cao Wei dynasty ca. 200 CE and maturing stylistically around the 7th century), hence most common in modern writings and publications (after the Ming and gothic styles, used exclusively in print).

Regular script came into being between the Eastern Hàn and Cáo Wèi dynasties, and its first known master was Zhōng Yáo (sometimes also read Zhōng Yóu; 鍾繇), who lived in the E. Hàn to Cáo Wèi period, ca. 151–230 CE. He is known as the “father of regular script”, and his famous works include the Xuānshì Biǎo (宣示表), Jiànjìzhí Biǎo (薦季直表), and Lìmìng Biǎo (力命表). Qiu Xigui describes the script in Zhong’s Xuānshì Biǎo as:

…clearly emerging from the womb of early period semi-cursive script. If one were to write the tidily written variety of early period semi-cursive script in a more dignified fashion and were to use consistently the pause technique (dùn 頓, used to reinforce the beginning or ending of a stroke) when ending horizontal strokes, a practice which already appears in early period semi-cursive script, and further were to make use of right-falling strokes with thick feet, the result would be a style of calligraphy like that in the "Xuān shì biǎo".

However, other than a few literati, very few wrote in this script at the time; most continued writing in neo-clerical script, or a hybrid form of semi-cursive and neo-clerical. Regular script did not become dominant until the early Southern and Northern Dynasties, in the 5th century; this was a variety of regular script which emerged from neo-clerical as well as from Zhong Yao's regular script, and is called "Wei regular" (魏楷 Weikai). Thus, regular script has parentage in early semi-cursive as well as neo-clerical scripts.