After the reunification of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shihuang ordered Li Si and others to start the work of unifying the characters, "let them not merge with Qin Wen". This reform is called "from book to text" reform. On the basis of Da Zhuan, which was widely used by Qin people in the Warring States Period, Li Si absorbed the advantages of Tadpole Zhuan, which was popular in Qilu and other places, and created a new character called Qin Zhuan, also known as Xiao Zhuan, to distinguish it from Da Zhuan. Xiao Zhuan was popular in China until the end of the Western Han Dynasty, and was gradually replaced by official script. Compared with the big seal script, the strokes of the small seal script become late, the lines with uneven thickness change, and the top is dense and the bottom is sparse, which is smooth and smooth. Xiao Zhuan's strokes are fine, so it is also called "Jade Zhuan". The shape is rectangular, and the structure is often symmetrical, giving people a tall and beautiful feeling.
There are Taishan Stone Carvings, Langya Stone Carvings, Huijishan Stone Carvings, and numerous Qin Liang, Qin Quan, imperial edicts, etc. Among them, the most respected is the small seal tablet of Li Si in Qin Dynasty, which has always been regarded as a treasure of calligraphy art. Its boldness of vision is like a dragonfly, and its beauty is like a lotus flower, which attracts worldwide attention and can be called a treasure. According to legend, this monument was carved by Li Sifeng, the prime minister of Qin Dynasty, at the order of the first emperor, to praise his virtue.
China characters developed into Xiao seal script stage, and gradually began to finalize the design (outline, strokes and structure), which weakened the pictographic meaning, made the characters more symbolic, and reduced the confusion and difficulties in writing and reading. This is also the first large-scale use of administrative means to standardize writing in Chinese history. Unifying and simplifying Chinese characters is a summary of the development and evolution of ancient Chinese characters, which not only basically eliminates the phenomenon of variant characters in various places, but also greatly changes the situation of various fonts in ancient Chinese, and occupies an important position in the history of China characters development.