Bronzeware script

Bronzeware script (金文 pinyin jin wen or 鐘鼎文 pinyin zhong1 ding3 wen2) is a family of scripts found on Chinese bronzes such as zhong (bells) and ding (tripods), since bronze artifacts with Chinese characters span many centuries and they have been found in many areas of China. Jinwen characters are sometime irregular in shape, that is, they are not as regularly in shape or size as modern Chinese characters. Shang Dynasty bronzes rarely have such characters on them, but bronze script is known throughout the Zhou Dynasty.

See also: seal script, oracle script.