<p>I agree with you that 书 is the result of simplification in writing, since 书(書) is embodied in <a href="https://www.360docs.net/doc/118916411.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">简化字总表</a>. It supports the fact that 书 is a simplification from 書 in composition, consulting from the font style of 草书.</p>
<p>In my opinion, <strong>the dot stands for the horizontal stroke 一 inside 日</strong>. 书, which ends with 丶, suits to the writing behavior where 書 ends with 一. I got my result after whatching how they write step-by-step and compare font styles. You may find your own answer by these materials 1)<a href="https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1B34y1g7Ae/?share_source=copy_web&amp;vd_source=374353de7a58f8f9cc7077cfc744dee2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">篆书</a>, 2)<a href="https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Fz4y1S7XC/?share_source=copy_web&amp;vd_source=374353de7a58f8f9cc7077cfc744dee2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楷书+草书</a> and 3)<a href="https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV19T411B7R2/?share_source=copy_web&amp;vd_source=374353de7a58f8f9cc7077cfc744dee2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">简体字+草书（硬笔书法）</a>.</p>
<p>Here are my detailed thoughts in description. See the illustration of 书 in 篆体，楷体，&quot;行草体&quot; from left to right↓. You can see the dot could stand alone (right 2), or being consecutive as a short 丿, following the second 一 (right most). In simplified Chinese the two styles seem to get combined by both keeping the dot and the short 丿, which composes 书.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/krhWlfb8.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/krhWlfb8.png" alt="shu font styles" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-02T15:08:19.783Z
Your third paragraph is particularly helpful.  Based on that, it appears to me that the simplified and 草书 characters reproduce the vertical stroke and the first two strokes of the regular character and then abbreviate the rest with a hook, a dot, or both.
Vegawatcher
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-28T03:38:00.107Z
2024-11-28T03:38:00.107Z
zrsammy
<p>From what I have been able to gather the simplified character 书 derives from a cursive（草书）form of the traditional character 書 or its clerical script (隶书) precursor.  But where does the final dot stroke (点) in 书 come from?  In other words, what stroke or strokes from the traditional character or the Clerical script precursor of 書 led to the dot?</p>
<p>From the samples on <a href="http://9610.com/zidian/index.asp?key=%CA%E9&amp;Submit=%CA%E9%B7%A8%D7%D6%B5%E4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this website</a>, I might guess that the dot is a remnant of the second stroke (the first 横 héng stroke) of 書, but I don't really know.  In fact, most of the cursive script forms have nothing like a dot stroke.</p>
<p>The image linked <a href="http://9610.com/zidian/ziku/cao/zhangruitu/224.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> does seem to indicate a dot as the last stroke, but it is not clear what it indicates.</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>

<simplified-characters><traditional-characters><traditional-vs-simplified>
Where does the dot in the simplified character 书 come from?
# Where does the dot in the simplified character 书 come from?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-11-27)

From what I have been able to gather the simplified character 书 derives from a cursive（草书）form of the traditional character 書 or its clerical script (隶书) precursor. But where does the final dot stroke (点) in 书 come from? In other words, what stroke or strokes from the traditional character or the Clerical script precursor of 書 led to the dot?

From the samples on [this website](http://9610.com/zidian/index.asp?key=%CA%E9&Submit=%CA%E9%B7%A8%D7%D6%B5%E4), I might guess that the dot is a remnant of the second stroke (the first 横 héng stroke) of 書, but I don't really know. In fact, most of the cursive script forms have nothing like a dot stroke.

The image linked [here](http://9610.com/zidian/ziku/cao/zhangruitu/224.jpg) does seem to indicate a dot as the last stroke, but it is not clear what it indicates.

Any thoughts?

**Tags:** simplified-characters, traditional-characters, traditional-vs-simplified


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-11-28. Score: 0 | Accepted answer

I agree with you that 书 is the result of simplification in writing, since 书(書) is embodied in [简化字总表](https://www.360docs.net/doc/118916411.html). It supports the fact that 书 is a simplification from 書 in composition, consulting from the font style of 草书.

In my opinion, **the dot stands for the horizontal stroke 一 inside 日**. 书, which ends with 丶, suits to the writing behavior where 書 ends with 一. I got my result after whatching how they write step-by-step and compare font styles. You may find your own answer by these materials 1)[篆书](https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1B34y1g7Ae/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=374353de7a58f8f9cc7077cfc744dee2), 2)[楷书+草书](https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Fz4y1S7XC/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=374353de7a58f8f9cc7077cfc744dee2) and 3)[简体字+草书（硬笔书法）](https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV19T411B7R2/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=374353de7a58f8f9cc7077cfc744dee2).

Here are my detailed thoughts in description. See the illustration of 书 in 篆体，楷体，"行草体" from left to right↓. You can see the dot could stand alone (right 2), or being consecutive as a short 丿, following the second 一 (right most). In simplified Chinese the two styles seem to get combined by both keeping the dot and the short 丿, which composes 书.

[![shu font styles](https://i.sstatic.net/krhWlfb8.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/krhWlfb8.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Your third paragraph is particularly helpful.  Based on that, it appears to me that the simplified and 草书 characters reproduce the vertical stroke and the first two strokes of the regular character and then abbreviate the rest with a hook, a dot, or both.  

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