File:始皇帝 (篆文).svg

Original file (SVG file, nominally 477 × 1,000 pixels, file size: 11 KB)

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Summary

Description

English: This is a vector version (created in Inkscape) of a very low-quality JPEG found at w:Image:ShiHuangDi1.jpg (which in turn must have been scanned from some book).
The image shows the name of the first emperor of a unified China, written in Seal Script. It says

始皇帝

Shǐ Huángdì, literally meaning "First Emperor". See w:Qin Shi Huang.

Comments on version history

The original version we uploaded was hand-traced in Inkscape. I deleted it.
Next, there was a version that we manually corrected in accordance with some suggestions that were made, in order to make it more accurate. Some lines were made thinner.
Next, there was a version that we created in CorelTRACE using the "centreline" tool. In Inkscape, we corrected a couple of problems and increased the line thickness from hairline to 2mm. It is very accurate, but does not take into account differing line thicknesses. But is line thickness significant in seal script? Not very, I think.
Finally, there was a version that we created in CorelTRACE using the "outline" tool. This image was good, but had many erroneous wedge shapes, so we corrected this in Inkscape. This is probably the best version.
Tweaked that last version by moving the characters closer together and adding a margin to the left and right.
Abandoned everything and went back to the original bitmap. Used "trace bitmap" in Inkscape (which works as well as CorelTRACE if you make sure the image is totally black first).

Annotations

This image is annotated: View the annotations at Commons

Source

Own work

Author

Erin Silversmith (talk · contribs) (original), Wargaz (talk · contribs) (current version)

Licensing

Public domain

This SVG representation of an ancient script is in the public domain.

The script itself predates the modern concept of copyright, and the creator of this image has released (or hereby releases) into the public domain any copyright generated by the making of the file (and grants an unconditional license to anyone, for any jurisdictions in which public-domain release is not legal). This applies internationally and for any purpose.

Attribution is not required but appreciated.

Example: the Chinese character 龍/龙 in seal script

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

	Date/Time	Dimensions	User	Comment
current	02:45, 24 March 2025	477 × 1,000 (11 KB)	Ooligan	Reverted to version as of 02:21, 10 July 2006 (UTC) - That change is not an improvement. A new image should be uploaded under a new filename
	08:38, 11 February 2018	350 × 1,000 (14 KB)	Wargaz	more representative
	02:21, 10 July 2006	477 × 1,000 (11 KB)	Erin Silversmith	Correct transparency issue.
	01:45, 9 July 2006	309 × 664 (11 KB)	Erin Silversmith	Moved chars closer together. Increased horizontal margin.
	11:38, 7 July 2006	350 × 950 (10 KB)	Erin Silversmith	This version was created with CorelTRACE's "outline" tool, and with many corrections then being manually performed in Inkscape.
	10:51, 7 July 2006	350 × 950 (12 KB)	Erin Silversmith	New version done with CorelTRACE's "centreline" tool.
	05:53, 7 July 2006	350 × 950 (18 KB)	Erin Silversmith	New version as per Hardouin's suggestions. More accurate. Black in colour. Also, metadata is now embedded.