The Chinese term for the cursive script style of calligraphy is Caoshu.
Caoshu (草書; simplified 草书; pinyin cǎoshū) is usually translated as “cursive script” or “grass script.” It is faster and less constrained than regular script, using abbreviated forms, merged strokes, and dramatic changes in character structure. The result can be highly expressive but difficult for readers trained only in standard printed forms.
The style developed in China through the Han and Jin periods. Early cursive, called zhangcao, grew from hurried forms of clerical script. Modern cursive, or jincao, emerged later with influence from semi-cursive and regular writing. A more extravagant form, kuangcao or “wild cursive,” prioritizes artistic movement over easy legibility.
Caoshu is often confused with kaishu, lishu, and zhuanshu, but those names identify different script traditions: regular, clerical, and seal script respectively. Caoshu also influenced Japanese writing; cursive forms of man’yōgana helped give rise to hiragana.