漢字的使用已超過三千年，字體隨著時代的發展，而有不同的變化，至今仍散發出強大的生命力與豐富的美感。除了書法、篆刻因文人的參與而發展成精緻典雅的藝術外，漢字在民間工藝的應用，甚至在現代設計中亦常有精彩的表現。漢字作為現代服裝設計之應用，時間並不長，仍有諸多可能的表現空間。近年來，政府在大型文化活動中經常鼓勵設計者參與主題式的展演與競賽，如台北文化局主辦的漢字文化節，即有一項以漢字為主題做服裝設計的活動。本文擬從漢字的發展、漢字藝術的類型、美感提出論述，並針對以漢字為設計元素的服裝設計，提出觀察意見，期能提供設計者更寬廣、更多元的思維。

The Chinese character had been in use for more then 3,000 years and within different generations the form has had various changes. Today it is still pre-eminent, vital and beautiful. Scholars have developed Chinese calligraphy and the cutting of seals into a fine art. Also in folk craft and in modern design you can find the Chinese character being used in splendid ways.In the past the Chinese character was rarely used as inspiration within fashion design yet the potential is there. In recent years, the Taiwanese government has encouraged designers to take part in cultural performances and competitions. For example, the Chinese Character Festival uses the Chinese character as the design subject.This paper will discuss the growth of the Chinese character and the character’s development within the realms of the arts and of beauty.It will also recommend the Chinese character as a design element to fashion design, to provide wider and more diverse thinking for designers.