History of Chinese Writing

An Into to Paleography

Outlier Teaches Ancient Chinese Scripts!

Online Course with 16+ hours of video lessons (plus Q&A sessions!), just $299

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rated 4.8/5 by 1000's of Chinese learners

In this course you'll:

Learn the Origins of Chinese Characters – Discover how characters evolved from oracle bones to modern script.
Experience Chinese History Through Its Writing – Read real, unearthed ancient texts from bronze vessels, oracle bones, bamboo strips, and more.
Learn to Read Small Seal Script – In this course you'll learn to read xiǎozhuàn 小篆, an ancient script that was the first standardized writing in Chinese history.
Learn to Research Characters Like a Scholar – Gain hands-on skills to trace character evolution, decipher early forms, and use real paleographic resources.

Student Testimonials (previous courses)

Randy
USA (living in China)

Jim
USA

Susan
Taiwan (living in Australia)

Chris
USA (living in Finland)

Margreet
Netherlands (living in NZ)

Anand
India

Who is this for?

For the curious

The history of Chinese writing is fascinating, but unfortunately, it's hard to find good info in English! We'll help you sort the wheat from the chaff. You'll also learn how to read (and write, if you want) small seal script 小篆, which is a useful skill in itself, and an essential foundation for further paleographic study.

Cultural

Chinese characters have a rich history, interwoven with Chinese culture for millennia. This course will deepen your understanding of this essential part of Chinese cultural identity—one of humanity’s greatest linguistic and artistic achievements—connecting your modern studies to a tradition that has endured for over three thousand years

Lifetime Access

The course is entirely self-paced, and like all of our courses, you'll still be able to access all of the materials after you're finished. No need to stress about time—you can go through the lessons on your own time, and ask us for help whenever you need it!

Curriculum

Unit 1: The Shuōwén and modern resources

● The Shuōwén Jiězì 說文解字 and its role in paleography

● Important modern resources on character form

● The Importance of Phonology (Dr. Ash guest lecture)

Unit 2: The Ancient Script

● Shang: Oracle Bones & Bronzes

● Western Zhōu & Spring & Autumn: Bronzes & Jade Tablets

● Warring States: Bamboo, Bronzes, Silk, Coins, Seals, etc.

Unit 3: Qín Standardization & The Modern Script

● Qín: Standardization, Stone, and Bamboo

● Hàn: Wood Strips and Steles

● Wèi/Jìn: Wood Strips and Steles

Unit 4: How to research character evolution

● Selected Readings in Modern Paleography

● Character Corruption 訛變 & Character Morphology 形體學

● Dr. Ash guest talk on some of his recent paleographic work

We'll be supplying reading material throughout the course—no textbook needed! The main readings will be in English, but some supplemental/optional reading will be in Chinese.

About this course

This course will be taught live, as a combination of lectures and Q&A (though if you can't make it to the live sessions you can watch the recordings later). We'll also hold weekly office hours via Zoom. An exam will be given at the end of the course, and a passing score at the end earns you a Certificate of Completion!

This is a 12-week survey course in Chinese paleography. You'll become familiar with the Shuōwén Jiězì and small seal script, and get an intro to excavated texts from various periods. You'll also get an overview of how paleographic research is done, how phonology plays an essential role, and of the kind of work that's being done on the cutting edge in Chinese paleography.

By the end of the course, you'll not only be able to read small seal script, you'll also have a solid introduction to analyzing ancient inscriptions, tracing character evolution, and understanding how historical linguistics informs paleographic research. You'll gain the skills to engage with excavated texts, interpret character transformations, and appreciate the broader cultural and historical context of Chinese writing.

Your Instructors

John Renfroe

Co-founder, Outlier Linguistics

Before co-founding Outlier, John studied Linguistics and Paleography in the Graduate Institute of Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University. He co-founded and later ran the Taipei Classical Chinese Reading Group, a weekly reading group consisting mostly of graduate Sinology students from western universities. He also taught classical Chinese to members of the group who had no previous instruction in the language. His coursework and research focused on excavated Warring States bamboo texts, historical Chinese character morphology, and the Shuowen Jiezi 說文解字 and its commentaries and criticism.

Dr. Ash Henson, MSc

Co-founder, Outlier Linguistics

To say that Ash is a language enthusiast is an understatement. He speaks Dutch, Mandarin, Cantonese and German, all in varying states of decay. In addition to these, he has learned to some level or another another 7 languages and is currently working on Japanese and European Portuguese. He sees language learning as a chance to experiment. The goal is to find a better way (either getting the same result in a way that takes less time, or getting a better result). And he’s been at it for 30 years! He got his PhD in Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University in paleography and historical linguistics. He was also in the PhD program for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language for six years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I go at my own pace? Will I still be able to access the course once I've finished it?

Yes! You get lifetime access, so we'll keep everything available online so that you can go through it at your own pace and review it whenever you want to!

How much Chinese do I need to know to take this course?

None! The course will be taught in English, and doesn't require any knowledge of Chinese. I've designed it so that people who are interested in the origin and evolution of the Chinese script can follow the course whether they know Chinese or not.

However, many of the supplementary/optional readings will be in Chinese. Some of them will assume knowledge of Classical Chinese. And a "side project" we'll be doing in the course will have you learning to recognize small seal script (小篆 xiǎozhuàn), which will require you to know some Chinese characters already.

So, if you don't know any Chinese, or if you're at the beginner end of the spectrum, but you're interested in the history of Chinese writing, you'll have no problem following the course. If you're at a higher level in Chinese, you'll be able to dive deeper and get more out of the supplementary readings and exercises.

How long does the course take to complete?

There are 12 lessons, and we did one lesson per week when the course was taught live. That can serve as a guide, though you can go at your own pace.

How much time will it require per lesson?

There are one to two lectures per lesson, and each will be about an hour. If you're learning to read seal script, you'll also need to dedicate a short block of time each day to the seal script side project.

Will I need anything (apps, etc.) in order to take the course?

Nope! We'll provide all readings in PDF form, and there's no textbook or app required for the course. We will, however, be giving lots of book recommendations along the way.

I'll also be providing you with an Anki deck (Anki is a free "smart flashcards" program) to help you learn to recognize and write common characters in small seal script.

What does "lifetime access" mean?

In practical terms, it means the course materials will be available online for as long as Outlier is in business. If we do ever go out of business or otherwise need to remove the course for any reason, we'll make the material available for you to download for a period of at least 6 months.

Can I get a refund if I decide the course isn't for me?

Yes! We have a 30-day, no questions asked refund policy. If you decide you don't like the course for whatever reason, just reach out by then and I'll be happy to give you a full refund.

Will there be assignments or homework?

We'll be giving assigned readings for each unit. There will also be supplementary/optional readings, which will consist of book chapters or journal articles, often in Chinese, and readings of excavated texts. You'll also need to set aside time each week to dedicate to learning seal script if you'll be participating in that project.

Can we collaborate with other students or form study groups?

Definitely! Our live courses usually have a one or two hundred students enrolled, so there should be plenty of students of all backgrounds and interests in this course too.

And sure, working together is no problem! We'll have a private online community where you can work together, ask questions, share notes, etc.

Online Course with 16+ hours of video lessons (plus Q&A sessions!), just $299

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rated 4.8/5 by 1000's of Chinese learners

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