The Seal Script was developed in the late Western Zhou Dynasty (circa 850 BC) and became popular in the Qin State during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 BC to 256 BC). In view of the geographical spread of the different states which were able to enjoy a high degree of autonomy under the weak Eastern Zhou Emperor, variations had appeared in the written form of the languages used in the different states. After the Qin State (256 BC to 202 BC) had conquered all the other states during the Warring States Period (475 BC to 222BC) and then unified China, Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, decreed that the written language be standardized.
In order to differentiate the styles of the Seal Script before and after standardization, the Seal Script used during the Zhou Dynasty is called Da Zhuan meaning Large Seal Script and the script adopted after standardization is called Xiao Zhuan meaning Small Seal Script.
The reason why this script is called Seal Script is because it is commonly used for engraving seals owing to its solemn but graceful style. The structure of the characters written in the Seal Script is quite different from that of the Regular Script and looks like characters of an entirely different language. Eyes that have not been trained cannot read the script which has fallen into disuse. A sample is shown on the right.
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