The Shuōwãn jiězì is the first known systematic work on Chinese characters. It was composed during the first century(completed in the year 100 AD1) by Xǔ Shân 許慎2 a Hàn scholar, famous for his knowledge of the Classics. There is a long tradition of study regarding the Shuōwãn with many commentaries written on it. But there are also quite a few problems concerning the “traditional” approach of the Shuōwãn. In this paper we will propose a new way of analysing the lexical entries in this major work. In a collaboration with Professor Harbsmeier (HãMîyã 何莫邪) from Oslo University in Norway we propose a different perspective for the study and translation of the Shuōwãn.3 This new approach consists in translating the text in an analytical perspective rather than in a descriptive perspective4, and in trying to understand the underlying methods which lead to the production of Xû Shân’s work.
The article sums up the achievements and shortage of the Han-Chinese language documents’ digitization, introduces the originality and programme of the associated retrieval system of ancient linguistics documents in Korea,and testifies about theoretical Value, practical function and academic significances of the associated retrieval system of ancient linguistics documents in Korea.
The Chinese picto-phonetic Characters contain phonetic elements and pictographic elements. The study of Chinese picto-phonetic characters will not only help us know more about the Chinese picto-phonetic characters but also the entire Chinese characters system. Based on our database, this article makes an analysis of the type, frequency, number of phonetic elements, points out that the elements of Chinese characters should be extended to graphic form, pronunciation, semantic, frequency, types and number. The article interprets the primary words of Chinese characters, and plots out the idea for extracting the primary words of Chinese characters from the Chinese picto-phonetic characters of Shuo Wen.
As an ancient text in Chinese Characters, WUMINGKAO basically reflects the law of spread and usage of Chinese Characters,and the study of deformed Chinese Characters is one part of research of external Chinese Characters. The writer carried forward the traditional shapes of Chinese Characters; besides, was flexible. In WUMINGKAO, the regular Chinese Characters and the deformed ones, the regularity of deformed Chinese Characters and the variability ones exist side by side.