A Study of Names Used on Seals in the Age of Civil Wars in China

중국전국시대 인장(印章)에 반영된 인명 특징 연구

The "Name" is not only representative of a person but also a cultural heritage containing national cultures. Therefore, we can easily find some cultural value from the square inch sized seal texts. This article is a comprehensive study of the characteristics of names appeared on the seals in the Warring States Period. In the Warring States Period, single name is generally used for naming and this style can be divided into 13 categories. Except unavoidable cases, such as using the name of place, the name of person or the reason of physical characteristics, using double name is very rare and this style can be categorized by 8 kinds. In result, using double name is defined as a fringe method of naming in the Warring States Period. In addition, we can find a big difference between the names of Warring States Period and those of Post-Qin and Han Dynasties in the structural aspects. In conclusion, understanding of the characteristics of names from the Warring States Period can be a great help to better understanding of ancient books and unearthed documents.