中国篆刻，又称金石篆刻，是以石材为主材料，以刻刀为工具，以汉字为表象的一门独特的镌刻艺术。从战国时期的古玺出土到2008年北京奥运会的中国印走向世界，中国的篆刻艺术已有三千多年的悠久历史。
Chinese seal cutting, also known as seal engraving, is a unique carving art by adopting stone as the main material, engraving knife as the tool, and Chinese characters as the representation. From the ancient seals unearthed in the Warring States period to the Chinese seal of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Chinese seal cutting art has a long history of more than 3000 years.
作为汉字特有的艺术形式，中国篆刻既强调中国书法的笔法、结构，又突出镌刻中自由、酣畅的艺术表达，于方寸间施展技艺、抒发情感。区别于实用印章，金石篆刻是一种指向艺术美学的创作，在篆刻中根据作者自己的审美追求进行个性化的加工处理。仅仅是一方一寸的美石，便能被篆刻家们镌刻出万千气象。
As a unique art form of Chinese characters, Chinese seal cutting emphasizes the brushwork and structure of Chinese calligraphy and also highlights the free and hearty artistic expression in engraving. Chinese seal cutting displays skills and expresses emotions in every inch. Different from practical seal cutting, Chinese seal cutting is a kind of creation that points to artistic aesthetics. In the process of seal cutting, personalized processing is carried out according to the author's aesthetic pursuit. Even only one inch of beautiful stone can be carved by seal carvers.
金石篆刻，来自绝妙的刀法技艺，也来自人们对文化艺术的热爱。这样的人文情怀，随着金石篆刻技艺一同被西泠印社传承。西泠印社，位于浙江杭州西子湖畔，创建于1904年，是中国现存历史最悠久的文人社团，也是海内外成立最早的金石篆刻专业学术团体。2009年，由西泠印社领衔申报的“中国篆刻艺术”成功入选人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录。
Seal engraving comes not only from the wonderful technique of swordsmanship but also from people's love of culture and art. This kind of humanistic sentiment was passed on by the Xiling Society of Seal Arts along with the skill of inscription and stone seal cutting. Xiling Society of Seal Arts, located near the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, was founded in 1904. It is the oldest existing literati Association in China and the earliest professional academic group of seal cutting domestically and internationally. In 2009, declared by Xiling Seal Engravers’ Society, Chinese seal cutting art was successfully recorded in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
