<p><a href="http://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B4%E6%96%87%E8%A7%A3%E5%AD%97/6180" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baidu Baike</a> says "《说文解字》是首部按部首编排的汉语字典。原书作于汉和帝永元十二年（100年）到安帝建光元年（121年），现已失传，传至今日的大多是宋朝版本，或是清朝的段玉裁注释本。原文以<strong>小篆</strong>书写，逐字解释字体来源．全书共分540个部首．收字9353个．另有“重文”（即异体字）1163个．共10516字。《说文解字》是科学文字学和文献语言学的奠基之作，在中国语言学史上有极其重要的地位。"</p>

<p>But I can't guarantee it is true.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-05T08:31:56.937Z
2017-01-05T08:31:56.937Z
Divlaker
<p>Modern editions of Shuowen Jiezi 說文解字 use seal characters 小篆 only in the headwords. This is also the case with <a href="http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&amp;res=81427" rel="nofollow noreferrer">editions published a few hundred years ago</a>. Was the whole original 121 edition of Shuowen written in seal characters, or was the main text written in the clerical script 隸書?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-04T16:23:31.383Z
It is written in year 100.  There is no ancient copy remains, unless archaeologist can recover a copy from ancient tombs in the future to verify the fact.  The "current" copies are revision done in year 986.

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%AF%B4%E6%96%87%E8%A7%A3%E5%AD%97
mootmoot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-04T16:42:25.460Z
Right, but perhaps there are some commentaries or other kinds of indirect evidence that can shed some light on this question.
米好 '-'
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-04T17:06:05.607Z
According to the wiki : revision in year AC986 state the original is written in  隸書 (consistent to the era).   The edition you given are revision of 1815, written in modern 楷书。
mootmoot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-05T08:48:34.770Z
sorry, it is a mistake, should be 小篆.
mootmoot
<characters><history><seal>
Was Shuowen Jiezi 說文解字 originally written in the seal script 小篆?
# Was Shuowen Jiezi 說文解字 originally written in the seal script 小篆?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-01-04)

Modern editions of Shuowen Jiezi 說文解字 use seal characters 小篆 only in the headwords. This is also the case with [editions published a few hundred years ago](http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&res=81427). Was the whole original 121 edition of Shuowen written in seal characters, or was the main text written in the clerical script 隸書?

**Tags:** characters, history, seal

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It is written in year 100.  There is no ancient copy remains, unless archaeologist can recover a copy from ancient tombs in the future to verify the fact.  The "current" copies are revision done in year 986.  https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%AF%B4%E6%96%87%E8%A7%A3%E5%AD%97  
> **username_0**: Right, but perhaps there are some commentaries or other kinds of indirect evidence that can shed some light on this question.  
> **username_1**: According to the wiki : revision in year AC986 state the original is written in  隸書 (consistent to the era).   The edition you given are revision of 1815, written in modern 楷书。  
> **username_1**: sorry, it is a mistake, should be 小篆.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-01-05. Score: 1

[Baidu Baike](http://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B4%E6%96%87%E8%A7%A3%E5%AD%97/6180) says "《说文解字》是首部按部首编排的汉语字典。原书作于汉和帝永元十二年（100年）到安帝建光元年（121年），现已失传，传至今日的大多是宋朝版本，或是清朝的段玉裁注释本。原文以**小篆**书写，逐字解释字体来源．全书共分540个部首．收字9353个．另有“重文”（即异体字）1163个．共10516字。《说文解字》是科学文字学和文献语言学的奠基之作，在中国语言学史上有极其重要的地位。"

But I can't guarantee it is true.


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