K'AI-SHU

Pinyin Kaishu (Chinese: regular script), in Chinese calligraphy, a stylization of chancery script developed during the Later Han dynasty (AD 23220) further simplifying the earlier li-shu script into a more fluent and easily written form. Characterized by clear-cut corners and straight strokes of varying thickness, the k'ai-shu script underwent its most vital period of development and was the most important type of script during the T'ang dynasty (618907), when a successful career in the civil service depended in part on one's skill as a calligrapher. It remains the standard script in use today and the model for printed type.