Jiaguwen, or "oracle¹ bone script", the earliest Chinese writing inscriptions² carved on tortoise shells and animal scapulas, comes alive on the Chinese internet and evolves as a new online language among the young generation.

甲骨文最近在国内网络上“活”了过来，并发展成年轻一代使用的新网络语言。甲骨文是刻在龟甲和兽骨上的文字，是我国最古老的文字。

"I never imagined that I could use Jiaguwen to communicate with my friends. I thought they could only be seen in my textbooks and be understood by a few researchers. Also, these memes look so creative and cute," said a Sina Weibo user.

一位新浪微博用户称：“我从没想过自己能用甲骨文与朋友交流。我以为甲骨文只会出现在课本上，只有少数研究者才能理解。再说，这些表情也很有创意、很萌。”

"The digitization of Jiaguwen is a brilliant idea to promote Chinese traditional culture, and I hope the designers can launch more memes for me to learn the ancient characters," a WeChat user added.

一位微信用户补充称：“甲骨文的数字化是弘扬中国传统文化的一个好主意，我希望设计者们能够推出更多的表情包，来帮助我学习古代文字。”

当高冷的甲骨文变成萌萌的表情包

Chen Nan, who designs Jiaguwen memes, is happy to know that Chinese netizens like his works.

甲骨文表情包的设计者陈楠很高兴国内网友喜欢他的作品。

A graduate of the Academy of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University, Chen has devoted³ himself to studying Chinese characters' design for 19 years.

陈楠毕业于清华大学美术学院，19年来一直致力于研究汉字设计。

"At present, most people think Jiaguwen is hard to understand and ignore the great historic value of it. Through using Jiaguwen memes, I truly hope that more people can develop an interest in the ancient characters and make it accessible to more people's daily lives," Chen said.

陈楠表示：“现在多数人都认为甲骨文晦涩难懂，忽略了其重要的历史价值。我真心希望通过使用甲骨文表情包，更多的人能对这种古代文字产生兴趣，使甲骨文更贴近人们的日常生活。”

"The design and promotion⁴ of Jiaguwen should follow the trend rather than be turned into a cultural symbol that is obscure and unpredictable," he said.

他说道：“甲骨文的设计推广应该顺应潮流，不应该把它塑造成晦涩难懂、高深莫测的文化符号。”