It is common to find a shape with more than two functions in Chinese characters, including individual characters which record more than two words and parts expressing more than two meaning. The main reasons for the phenomenon are: one shape was given different functions when being created; similar shapes became one shape during evolution process; one shape was borrowed to record a derivative or homophone. Its development resulted in the glyph differentiation or generation of a new shape with more than two functions. And the simplification of Chinese characters results in a shape recording more than two words, which does not affect the distinguishing function of characters because the modern Chinese vocabulary is mainly composed of disyllabic words in which there is another morpheme playing a distinguishing role.

1. 一形數用的概念
 2. 一形數用的成因
 3. 一形數用的發展
 References
 Abstract

• 張素鳳(鄭州大學文學院教授) | Sufeng ZHANG