European and American sinologists have a long history of studying the use of characters in the Qin and Han dynasties, and have been active in their research since the reform and opening up, with abundant achievements. They focus on the relationship between political power and the use of language, and although they may not delve as deeply into the structure of language as scholars from China, Japan, and South Korea, they provide a macro perspective. The research focuses on four issues: the usage of Qin and Han characters, the relationship between characters and political power, the role of Shuowen Jiezi in standardizing characters, and the reasons why Xu Shen used seal script as the prefix.

1、 The actual use of characters in the Qin and Han dynasties

During the Qin and Han dynasties, seal script, as the official script, had limitations in its use due to the influence of government authority. The Western Sinology community explores its usage from the perspective of government operation mechanisms. Professor Chen Liqiang believes that writing is an important tool for communication between imperial rulers and the people. Qin Shi Huang achieved standardization through stone carvings, measuring tools, and other means, while also spreading the authority of the emperor. Seal script was therefore endowed with authority and became a tool for communication between upper class elites and the public. The limitations and stability of the use of Han dynasty seal script reflect the acceptance and maintenance of this special temperament by the users of the characters. Although seal script was not widely popularized, communication between rulers and the people continued through clerical script. The ancient Roman Empire used portraits and texts of rulers on coins for propaganda, which was different from the Qin and Han empires. Chen Liqiang's viewpoint was influenced by Professor Komartin, who believed that the stone carvings of Emperor Qin Shi Huang were a symbol of political and ideological unity, and the seal script font itself also had authority and became a part of historical tradition.

2、 Understanding the Relationship between Political Power and the Use of Writing

Chen Liqiang and Komartin explored the relationship between writing and textual authority from a macro perspective, while Pu Ruoshi and Lu Weiyi delved into the connection between early Chinese writing and political power. Pu Ruoshi analyzed the clerical and cursive scripts used by officials in the Han Dynasty in her doctoral thesis, and believed that calligraphy was closely related to political authority, and the quality of calligraphy was linked to moral requirements. The choice of different calligraphy styles reflected the subjective attitude of the users. Lu Weiyi studied the relationship between writing, literary creation, and political power, proposing six major roles of writing in the formation of power, emphasizing the broad and flexible authority of writing. Wang Haicheng compared early Chinese calligraphy with other ancient civilization scripts and found that excellent calligraphy is a common feature of monuments to the upper elite. Calligraphy, as a display medium, has universality in different civilizations. These studies reveal the complex relationship between the use of writing and political power, social elites, and cultural inheritance during the Qin and Han dynasties.

3、 The role of Shuowen Jiezi in standardizing writing

Shuowen Jiezi played a key role in the standardization of writing during the Qin and Han dynasties. Xu Shen established the standardization of writing through this book, aiming to correct the chaotic phenomenon of using characters to interpret characters in society at that time. American sinologist Bao Zeyue believes that "Shuowen Jiezi" established the standard for correct characters by starting with small seal script, inheriting Li Si's creation. Although Xiaozhuan did not become a common font, Xu Shen's classification method actually constitutes the standard for character shapes. Hungarian sinologist Gao Yirui studied the process of standardization of characters from the Warring States period to the Qin and Han dynasties, pointing out the standardization tendency of Han dynasty academia and emphasizing that the seal script characters recorded in "Shuowen" were not created by Li Si, but further evolved by Xu Shen on the small seal script characters. Wu Hong proposed that most of the small seal script in Shuowen is the "standard small seal script of the Qin Dynasty", while Gao Yirui distinguished between Qin seal script and Han seal script in Shuowen, pointing out that the small seal script in Shuowen is an idealized form of characters, reflecting Xu Shen's self version of the standardization of writing. Gao Yirui further explored the significance of the difference between ideal and actual character shapes in the process of character standardization, and believed that Xu Shen's compilation of "Shuowen Jiezi" was an attempt to establish standard character shapes, continuing the standardization work of characters in the Qin and Han dynasties.

4、 Explanation of the extensive use of seal script in Shuowen Jiezi

European and American scholars generally believe that Xu Shen chose small seal script as the prefix in "Shuowen Jiezi" out of his pursuit of standardization of writing. French sinologist Pu Fangsha and Norwegian sinologist He Moye pointed out in their paper that Xu Shen did not use the popular clerical script at that time, but chose the small seal script to trace the more ancient character structure. Wei Heng of the Western Jin Dynasty also believed that Xiaozhuan was an ideal choice for constructing a standard writing system. European scholar Dongma Ke proposed in his work that Xu Shen wrote "Shuowen Jiezi" to end the debate between ancient and modern literature, although Professor Ye Han had reservations about it. Xu Shen clearly stated in "Shuowen Jiezi" that his goal is to reconcile the disputes between ancient and modern Chinese characters. Through the method of "combining modern seal script with ancient silk", he not only reflects the authority of small seal script, but also avoids favoring either side, thus becoming Xu Shen's best choice in choosing the beginning of characters.

5、 Summary

The research of Western sinologists and Chinese scholars has jointly deepened the understanding of the characteristics of Qin and Han seal script and the nature of Shuowen Jiezi. The authority and tradition of seal script not only stem from government use, but are also closely related to moral standards, literary value, and artistic significance. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the ruling class established hegemony through writing, while scholars in the later Western Han dynasty inherited ancient traditions through literature and calligraphy to consolidate their rule. The powerful aristocrats of the Eastern Han Dynasty combined the hegemony of writing with political authority, maintaining the authority of seal script. Shuowen Jiezi "is a small seal script system established by Xu Shen. Although it is not standardized by the court, it has important significance for the standardization of writing. Xu Shen's orthography reflects his personal description of reality and idealized form, reflecting the academic standardization tendency of the Han Dynasty. Shuowen elaborates on the understanding of characters and the meaning of classics through the use of small seal script shapes, reflecting the important role of seal script in explaining character theory. Shuowen "is not a compilation of practical character forms, but a specialized book on Chinese character studies that selects characters that conform to the Chinese character structure system from various historical fonts, uses small seal script fonts to load and systematically explain the principles of characters. Xu Shen used small seal script as the initial font, which not only facilitates the analysis of character structure, but also reflects the authority and tradition of seal script, avoiding disputes between ancient and modern literary schools. Scholars from both the East and the West have reached a considerable consensus on the use of Qin and Han scripts, the relationship between scripts and political power, and the purpose and nature of the book 'Shuowen'.