印章

• Pinyin: yìn zhāng
• Hanzi breakdown: 印 = 卩 + 爪 (kneeling figure + pressing hand — to stamp, to seal); 章 = 音 + 十 (sign + ten — a formal emblem, chapter, seal)

Meaning

Seal; stamp; chop. A carved implement used to make an impression on documents as a mark of identity, authority, or authenticity.

Central to Chinese official and cultural life — seals have served as markers of identity and authority for over two thousand years. In modern usage, 公章 (official seal) carries legal force on contracts and official documents; personal name seals (名章) are used in art and calligraphy. 印章 is also a major art form (篆刻 — seal carving).

Examples

1. 这枚战国楚墓出土的青铜印章保存完好，印文为小篆，是研究先秦官制和铸刻工艺的珍贵实物。 This bronze seal from a Warring States Chu tomb is well preserved; its inscription is in small seal script and it is a valuable artifact for studying pre-Qin official systems and casting and engraving techniques.
2. 在中国，单位印章的法律效力通常高于个人签名，合同若没有有效公章，其约束力就会受到质疑。 In China, an organisation's seal usually carries more legal force than a personal signature, and a contract without a valid seal will be questioned for enforceability.
3. 当代印章篆刻已从身份认证工具变成东方美学艺术，篆刻家也在方寸之间融入现代观念与议题。 Contemporary seal carving has turned from an identity-verification tool into an art form of Eastern aesthetics, and seal carvers also weave modern ideas and themes into a small space.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, business, culture, history

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 办理房产过户时，工作人员提醒双方，文件须由法人签字并加盖有效备案的单位印章，少一项都可能办不成。(When handling property transfer, staff reminded both parties that documents must be signed by the legal representative and stamped with a registered company seal; missing either item could make the transfer impossible.)
• 故宫所藏御用印章中，乾隆的收藏鉴赏印最著名；他一生所用印章逾一千八百枚，至今仍是研究清宫收藏的重要资料。(Among the imperial seals preserved in the Palace Museum, Qianlong's collection-and-appreciation seals are the most famous; he used more than eighteen hundred seals in his lifetime, and they remain important materials for studying Qing palace collections.)

Don't Say

• 他印章了文件 — 印章 is a noun (the physical seal), not a verb; use 加盖印章 or 盖章 as the verb phrase for the act of stamping; 印章 itself never functions as a verb

Origin & History

印 (to print/stamp — 卩 kneeling figure + 爪 pressing hand; to press a mark) + 章 (chapter/seal/emblem — 音 sound/sign + 十 ten; a formal mark or emblem); together: 'a stamped formal mark' — a seal

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal