Chinese?Seals中国印章

With roots dating back thousands of years， Chinese seals are symbolic of identity， status， and culture.

A seal is used to mark important documents， pieces of art， contracts， or any other item that requires a signature. Typically， the seals are carved into stone， but they can also be made of wood， bamboo， bone， or ceramic. When the seals are used， they are dipped in either red ink or cinnabar paste.

The seal was first created in 221 BC. After the first emperor of China， Qin Shi Huang， conquered the six Warring States and unified China， he ordered his first imperial seal to be carved using beautiful white jade. The imperial seal was called the “Xi” and was only used by those in power. The emperors who followed used an imperial seal， but the number of seals changed depending on the dynasty and who was in power.

It wasnt until the Ming and Qing dynasties that the seals usage moved from the imperial to the personal， due to the expansion of the arts. Artists began using a stylized seal carving of their name to mark ownership of their works. Individuals also began using a personalized stamp for important documents. These non-official stamps were called “Yin”.

Today， seals are used widely for marking important documents. Seals are often accompanied by hand signatures as a more secure form of identification. Chinese calligraphy works and paintings are still marked with a personalized seal.

中国印章的历史可以追溯到几千年前，它们是身份、地位和文化的象征。

印章用来给重要的文件、艺术品、合同或需要签名的物品做标记。一般来说，印章用石头刻成，但也可以用木头、竹子、骨头或陶瓷来刻。使用印章时，需要沾上红色的印泥或朱砂。

印章最早出现在公元前221年。在中国古代第一个皇帝秦始皇征服六国并统一中国后，他下令用精美的白玉雕刻他的第一个皇家印章。皇家印章被称为“玺”，只有当权者才能使用。之后的皇帝便开始使用玉玺，但玉玺的数量根据朝代和执政者的不同而有所变化。

直到明清之际，由于艺术的不断发展，印章开始从皇家转向个人使用。艺术家们开始用个性化的方式在印章上刻上他们的名字，以表明他们对作品的所有权。个人也开始在重要的文件上使用个性化的印章，这些非官方印章被称为“印”。

如今，印章广泛用于各类重要的文件。在文件上盖上印章后还会手写签名，这是一种更安全的身份证明方式。中国的书法和绘画作品都盖有作者的印章。

Word Bank

signature /'s?ɡn?t??（r）/ n. 签名；署名

imperial /?m'p??ri?l/ adj. 帝国的；皇帝的

accompany /?'k?mp?ni/ v. 伴隨；与……同时发生

Strong winds accompanied by heavy rain attacked the village last Sunday.