In the phonosemantic books listed in Jing Dian Shi Wen (經典釋文), Chunqiu Zuoshi Yin (春秋左氏音) authored by Fu Qian during the late Eastern Han dynasty is the earliest one, marking it as the first work in Chinese phonosemantics studies. From that point, the study of Chinese Phonosemantics has spanned over two millennia. In 721 AD, during Kaiyuan ninth year of Tang Dynasty, Yuan Xingchong presented the Kaiyuan Qunshu Sibu Lu (開元群書四部録) in 200 volumes. It established the “Exegesis of the Classics” category, which included Jing Dian Shi Wen (經典釋文), altering the dependent relationship of phonosemantic books to the classics. It also introduced the “Interpretation of Ancient Texts” category for exegetical books, and the “Traditional Chinese Linguistics” category exclusively for books on Chinese characters and phonology books, subtly forming a structure divided into character, phonology, exegesis, and phonosemantics, which is a significant event in the history of Chinese phonosemantics studies. In Year 1041, during the first year of the Qingli reign of Emperor Renzong of Northern Song Dynasty, Ouyang Xiu compiled the state bibliography Chong Wen Zong Mu (崇文總目) and moved Jing Dian Shi Wen (經典釋文) from the “Exegesis of the Classics” category to the “Traditional Chinese Linguistics” category. Works like You Mao’s Sui Chu Tang Shu Mu (遂初堂 書目), Chao Gongwu’s Jun Zhai Du Shu Zhi (郡齋讀書志), and Chen Kui’s Zhong Xing Guange Shu Mu (中興館閣書目) followed this arrangement, affirming the Chinese linguistic attributes of phonosemantic books, having profound and far-reaching implications. During the Qing Dynasty, Xie Qikun’s Xiao Xue Kao (小學考) established “Phonosemantics” as a distinct category, encompassing various phonosemantic books from the Han and Wei dynasties onward, without restricting them to the type of Jing Dian Shi Wen (經典釋文). This positioned phonosemantics alongside exegesis, character, and phonology as one of the four major branches of traditional Chinese linguistics, solidifying its academic status. In addition to Xiao Xue Kao (小學 考), other significant works of the Qing dynasty, such as Lu Wenchao’s Jing Dian Shi Wen Kao Zheng (經典釋文考證), Wu Chengshi’s Annotations on Prologue of Jing Ji Jiu Yin (經籍舊音序録疏證), Prologue of Jing Ji Jiu Yin (經籍舊音序録), Differentiation of Jing Ji Jiu Yin (經籍舊音辨證), Huang Zhuo’s Collation on Jing Dian Shi Wen (經典釋文匯校), and Hong Liangji’s Han Wei Yin (漢魏音), have become vital works in the disciplinary history of Chinese Phonosemantics. Entering the 21st century, the research in Chinese phonosemantics studies has seen expansive and deeper developments, particularly in the studies of Tang and Five Dynasties’ Buddhist Scriptures phonosemantics and correspondence of sound and meaning. The former was a weak area in earlier Chinese phonosemantics research, while the latter addresses the core issues of the field. Seizing this opportunity, Chinese scholars formally proposed the disciplinary concept and objectives of “Chinese Phonosemantics”, leading the establishment and in-depth exploration of its theories, materials, and research methods, creating an unprecedented surge of interest in the field.

The Study of Chinese Sound and Meaning is an emergent discipline formed by the convergence of various academic fields such as philology, phonology, exegesis, grammar, and bibliography. This subject is dedicated to exploring the correspondence of sound and meaning of Chinese language throughout history, especially ancient Chinese. Its research encompasses, but is not limited to, the following areas: (1) Theoretical, material, and methodological issues in the Study of Chinese Sound and Meaning; (2) The essential differences and connections between phonetic annotations in Chinese phonosemantic books, rhyme dictionaries, and dictionaries of Chinese characters; (3) The relationships between phonetic annotations and the Chinese character glyphs; (4) Integrated research on phonetics, semantics, and grammar; (5) The systematic evolution and development of the correspondence of Chinese sound and meaning; (6) The compilation and study of Chinese phonosemantic literature, and more. The Study of Chinese Sound and Meaning requires the integrated use of multidisciplinary research tools such as philology, phonology, exegesis, grammar, textual research, digital humanities, etc., and thus has strong interdisciplinary attributes. As a typical interdisciplinary subject, the establishment of the Study of Chinese Sound and Meaning responds to the objective needs of academic development in the new era.

There are many collected phonetics which came from The Annotation of Classics in Jiyun. In The Annotation of Classics, the nature of Yinqie (音切) is very complex. There are some Yinqie not labeling phonetics for the prefixes. In Yinqie not labeling phonetics for the prefixes, some noted phonetics for variant, some noted phonetics for synonym, some noted phonetics for approximate character in form, some noted phonetics for notes and commentaries, some noted phonetics for original character. Of course, there are some Fanqie (反切) which noted phonetics for synonym in Jiyun. In the paper, we have specially discussed the Fanqie (反切) which noted phonetics for synonym in Jiyun. We divided the collected phonetics into two categories. We gave some examples for every category.

Han Wei Yin (漢魏音), Qing dynasty scholar Hong Liangji’s first research work on Chinese phonosemantics, quotes the phonetic annotations of Han Confucianist in dozens of classic books, includes 2057 characters (words) and 2457 phonetic annotations, which presents the relations of pronunciation and meaning of Han and Wei dynasties in a comprehensively way. Meanwhile, Han Wei Yin (漢魏音) shows Hong Liangji’s great skills of textology and collation. He emended the characters’ errors in handed-down documents and demonstrated the right relations of pronunciation and meaning by combining the collation with the study of pronunciation and meaning. Han Wei Yin (漢魏 音) expanded a new vision of the study of the ancient phonology in Qing dynasty, completed the systematic compilation of phonetic annotations in Han and Wei dynasties, and researched the matching relations of Chinese pronunciation and meaning in Han and Wei dynasties. The collation and utilization of Han Wei Yin (漢魏音) is a project that needs to be discussed deeply.

There is a view in the scholarly community that although the Codex Yupian (卷軸本《玉篇》) was a detailed text with many explanations, it neglected the phonetic-meaning relations. Taking the Codex Yupian as the research material, we analyze the phonetic-meaning relations of the initial tone of one phonetic, initial tone of one phonetic+youyin (又音), initial tone of two phonetics, initial tone of two phonetics+youyin, initial tone of three phonetics, and no phonetic entries, and analyze the relations between phonetic and meaning in the context of literature, The similarities and differences in the meanings of the items, and the comparison with the Daguang Yihui Yupian (《大廣益會玉篇》), Jingdian Shiwen (《經典釋文》) and Codex Yupian, as well as the source of youyin and the corresponding relationships between phonetics and meanings, to illustrate that Codex Yupian edited by Gu Yewang (顧野王) has a very complicated explanation. This study shows that Gu Yewang had a clear explanatory style and a matching relations between sound and meaning, and that the emergence of multiple sounds and multiple meanings. It is the result of Gu Yewang’s “summarizing all the texts and studying all the classics” and “studying the Six Classics and studying all the Hundred Books”, and it is the result of the fusion of the peoples of the North and South Dynasties. It is also the result of the development of language under the ethnic fusion of the North and South Dynasties and the compilation of the literature of the time. The book plays an important role in standardizing and clarifying the relationship between morphology, phonology and meaning during the North and South Dynasties.

There is a wrong splicing in the eighth volume of Kehong Yinyi preserved in the Korean Tripitaka, it involves some phonetic and meaning entries in Buddha’s Names Sutra, Three Thousand Buddhas’ Names Sutra and Five Thousand Five Hundred Buddhas’ Names Sutra. By backtracking the scriptures, the exact origin of these phonetic and meaning entries can be determined. At the same time, combined with the selected transcript of Kehong Yinyi recorded on the back of the Dunhuang Scroll P.2948, it can be inferred that this phenomenon already existed in Kehong Yinyi before it was introduced into Goryeo. As for the specific link in which this misalignment occurred, it is difficult to know for sure due to the lack of evidence chain.

This paper investigates the vestiges of bear worship in ancient Chinese characters. It analyzes the emergence and significance of characters symbolizing bears, such as “能” (néng) and “熊” (xióng), to elucidate their connection with the tradition of bear worship. “能” is identified as a pictogram representing the bear’s body, and it is argued that the character “羽 /能” (yī) used in the bamboo texts of the Chu state is related to bear birth mythology. Additionally, the study reveals that the ancestral surname “嬴” (Yíng) of the Qin dynasty encapsulates meanings related to the bear. The research explores the potential links between the bear worship totem of the Hongshan culture and the ethnic groups of the Qin and Chu states, supporting the polygenetic theory of the formation of the Chinese nation. It particularly emphasizes the significance of the Northeast Asian civilizations beyond the monocentric theory centered around the Yellow River or the dualistic theory of the Yangshao-Liangzhu cultures. The study also contributes to understanding the cultural connections between Gojoseon’s Dangun mythology, the formation of the Korean ethnic group, and further cultural linkages with Japan. This study comprehensively illuminates the impact of bear worship on the formation of Chinese and Northeast Asian cultures and is expected to lay a crucial theoretical foundation for constructing the methodology of “Chinese character archaeology” that integrates studies of ancient characters with ethnology, archaeology, and philology. Through this, it aims to provide deep insights into how various ethnicities and cultures have interacted to shape Chinese civilization.

The so called “special characters”, is the characters that intended to represent a particular meaning. The concept of “special characters” has been developed for a long time, and as early as the Southern Tang Dynasty, Xu Kai’s (徐锴) interpretation of “lang (郎)” in the “Shuowen Jiezi Xizhuan 《( 說 文解字繫傳》)” already had the meaning of “special characters”. The Qing dynasty scholar Wang Yun (王筠) also discussed “special characters” many times. “Special characters” are exist more or less in various periods of Chinese characters, and “special characters” have appeared as early as the existence of oracle-bone inscriptions. This paper preliminarily sorts out the “special characters” in the oracle-bone inscriptions, and then groups these “special characters” and briefly sorts out the configuration of each group of characters, in order to have a comprehensive understanding of the development of “special characters” in the oracle-bone inscriptions. On the basis of analyzing their use in combination with the example and context, the “special characters” in the oracle-bone inscriptions are compared with the “special characters” in Dongba script, and it is found that these “special characters” have distinctive characteristics when used. The “special characters” in the oracle-bone inscriptions are often accompanied by partial changes in the shape structure, and the frequency of their use is unbalanced. When “special characters” are used, there is often a situation where a character represents a phrase, the use of “special characters” is often limited by superordinate level semantics and it will gradually be unified into a glyph in the later stage. Finally, combined with the production and development process of Chinese characters, we find that the production of “special characters” is a natural manifestation in the process of writing development, which is closely related to the context of the use of oracle-bone inscriptions and the thinking habits of primitive ancestors.

Qianjin Yaofang by Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty is a comprehensive collection of medical classics. The original version has been lost. Zhenben Qianjinfang, as the earliest extant version, contains a large number of common characters and has a very high reference value. This article takes the common characters in Zhenben Qianjinfang as the object of investigation, and uses research methods such as document collation, Chinese character studies, and exegesis to comprehensively sort out and systematically describe the common characters in the book, in order to provide reference for the study of ancient medical books. Based on preliminary statistics, there are a total of 661 pairs of characters that have a relationship between orthodox and secular in Zhenben Qianjinfang. Referring to Mr. Zhang Yongquan’s classification method of vulgar characters, these vulgar characters can be divided into nine categories, including changing meanings, changing sound symbols, simplification of glyphs, multiplication of glyphs, writing variation, splitting or merging of components, displacement of components, newly created vulgar characters, and borrowing pronunciation and common words, etc. For each type of common characters, typical examples are cited for critical analysis to explain the formation mechanism and rationale behind the glyphs of the common characters. To sum up, the formation of the common characters in Zhenben Qianjinfang is mainly the result of the combined effects of two internal and external factors. The evolution of glyphs, the need for semantic expression, and the phonetic characteristics of Chinese characters have contributed to the emergence of vulgar characters within the language system, while external factors such as politics, technology, and culture have also had a certain impact on the formation of common characters.

Starting from the relationship between the Shui Script and the almanac of the Han Ethnic Group, this paper observes further about the Shui Script, and thinks that the fundamental nature of the Shui Script system is its hybridity: the Shui script is generally the same as the almanac of the Han Ethnic Group in the basic principles, the divination of weal and woe, the logic of expression and cultural connotation. Besides, it also reflects the cultural characteristics of the nationality of Shui Ethnic Group, mainly in the spirit system and the selection of auspicious matters. The Shui Script is a hybrid system in cultural connotation. The analysis of the pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar of the Shui Script shows that the language system of the Shui Script is a hybrid system mainly composed of Chinese and mixed with a little Sui language. The system of the Shui character is a hybrid system composed of Chinese characters and Chinese form altered graph as very high frequency common words, and the self-defined characters of the Shui Script as low frequency uncommon words. On the basis of the above research, the nature of the Shui Script is re-recognized: the Shui character can record the content of the Shui Script word by word, it is the word writing, rather than the “phrase character”; the Shui character system is a hybrid system of borrowed words from Chinese, supplemented by Shui nationality’s own characters. From the perspective of language system and recorded content, it is possible that there is no pure self-initiated character, so we should distinguish the two concepts of self-initiated characters and self-defined characters.

In academia, the parts outside the definitions in phonetic-semantic reference books are ambiguously termed, referred to as “revealed characters”, “word entries”, “lexical entries”, or “character entries”. Based on the meticulously revised Japanese manuscript of “Xuan Ying’s Phonetic-Semantic Explanations”, this paper conducts a comprehensive study on the origins of these parts, their relationship with the explanations, and their functions. It is discovered that this content not only originates from the scriptures but also from related prefaces or accompanying annotations. Their primary function is to “locate” and “identify the explained words”. Hence, they are termed as “label entries”. The function of the labels in “Xuan Ying’s Phonetic-Semantic Explanations” is to indicate the position of the interpreted terms in the scripture, and they do not form a relationship of interpretation and being interpreted with the exegesis as a whole.

According to the research, all the translations of Mathematical terms in the Chinese translation of the Ji He Yuan Ben in Ming and Qing Dynasty adopt Liberal translation. Some translation of mathematical terms exists the problem of multiple translations of a word, Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi’s collaborated on the translation of the mathematical terms most in use today. In the purely Liberal translation of the words translated by Matteo Ricci in collaboration with Xu Guangqi, borrowed and transplanted words are the most used today. In Literal translation words, two-syllable Literal translation words are the most used today. This was due to the impact of the principle of naturalization, influence of traditional systems theory thinking and the restriction of Chinese disyllabic law. The Mathematical terms translated by Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi had a significant impact on the choice and creation of mathematical translations for later generations: establishes a predominantly Liberal translation of mathematical terms, pay attention to the combination of traditional Chinese knowledge, according to the need to create three syllables and more than three syllable translation words and lay emphasis on the systematic translation of words, etc.

Chinese ancient wordbook of standard characters is a type of character book that establishes a standard style for the writing of Chinese characters. This article selects seven types of character books, including the Tang Dynasty’s Ganlu Zishu, Wujing Wenzi, Xinjia Jiujing Ziyang, the Song Dynasty’s Fugu Bian, the Yuan Dynasty’s Zi Jian, the Ming Dynasty’s Sushu Kanwu, and the Qing Dynasty’s Zengguang Zixue Juyu. Through a review and analysis of their research status, it is determined that the style of character books is mainly explored from three aspects: character collection, bibliography, and arrangement style. Chinese ancient wordbook of standard characters has the characteristics of small volume and stable quantity in the collection of characters. In terms of typography, the form of the prefix has gone through a process of typography, from typography to typography, and gradually fixed to typography; Except for the “Fugu Bian”, all fonts are in regular script and stand out; Except for the “Ganlu Zishu”, all prefix categories are listed in regular script. In terms of arrangement style, the Ganlu Zishu has had a profound impact on future generations of character books. More character books use phonetic order, and are all based on four tones, with rhyme as the main focus. The use of radical method in the “Wujing Wenzi” and “Xinjia Jiujing Ziyang” is different from the radical in the “Shuowen Jiezi” in terms of the number, form, and order of radicals, mainly reflecting the trend of radical function transformation from structure to character inspection.

This paper explores the standards for selecting language materials during the study of the diachronic grammar of Classical Chinese. The accuracy of language materials is crucial for ensuring the scientific validity of research conclusions. Due to previous limitations in research on the language materials of the Spring and Autumn period, such as posteriority and singularity, this paper argues that the increasing availability of excavated documents, especially ancient literary texts, provides a reliable research foundation for describing the grammar of Classical Chinese during this period. Therefore, this paper attempts to answer the following questions: 1) Which language materials should be used for the study of the grammar of Classical Chinese during the Spring and Autumn period? 2) Why should these language materials be selected? 3) What are the standards for selecting language materials during this period? The purpose of this study is to provide a reference for the diachronic study of Classical Chinese grammar.

This article takes the four handed down Chu Gong Jia bells and the Chu Gong Jia bell unearthed in Zhouyuan as the research objects, and combines the existing research results to conduct a comparative study of the two from the perspective of inscription glyphs, word relationships, style, and decorative patterns. It is pointed out that the inscriptions, style, and word relationships of Chu Gong Jia bells in the late western Zhou dynasty all show the regional characteristics of the Chu characters. The inscriptions, style, and relationship between words of the Chu Gong Jia bell unearthed in the Zhou dynasty also reflect the regional characteristics of the western Zhou dynasty. This article also conducts a comparative study of the bird patterns on the bells of the western Zhou dynasty, and points out that the bird patterns on the Chu Gong Jia bell unearthed in Zhouyuan are not common in the southern region during the western Zhou dynasty, but are more closely related to the Baoji Phoenix bird pattern with a fleshy crown common in the Baoji region during the western Zhou dynasty. Its stiff demeanor and forked upturned tail may be due to improper imitation of southern bird patterns. The regional characteristics and bird pattern on the right drum of the Chu Gong Jia bell inscription unearthed in Zhouyuan indicate that its origin or locality is in Zhouyuan. The research in this article has a promoting effect on the understanding of the regional characteristics of bronze inscriptions in the western Zhou dynasty, and is beneficial for us to further understand the early Chu characters and Chu culture. The conclusions of this study can provide some reference for the formation and development of the character system in the Zhou dynasty and the study of the casting and circulation patterns of bronze.

The “Sui” (眭) Clan is a famous family in Zhaojun in the middle ages of China. The heyday of “Sui” (眭) Clan in Gaoyi Zhaojun was the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms. They active in the historical events of the Western Jin, Later Yan, and Northern Wei dynasties. They maintained the survival and development of the gentry in a difficult environment. The surname “Sui” (眭) was erroneously changed to the surname “Qi” (畦) for the first time during the Wei and Jin dynasties. In the writing during the Northern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties, the surname “Sui” (眭) was erroneously mistaken for the surname “Mu” (睦) for the second time. These two surnames have become independent surnames in later generations, but their origin is “Sui” (眭). This is a noteworthy issue of Chinese character miswriting.

Stone inscriptions, as one type of excavated literature, have unique functions different from those of traditional literature, and they hold great value for the study of language, script, history, and culture. However, due to various reasons, there are some materials with difficult-to-distinguish authenticity, age, or nature, which cause significant interference in the study of language, script, history, and culture, and also affect the judgments of collectors. Therefore, it is crucial to identify them. This article examines the stone inscriptions of six stone statues in medieval China. Among them, the inscriptions of four of the statues, which date back to the Six Dynasties, can be divided into three categories: forgeries, half-true and half-false, and errors in recording or omissions by the compiler. Of these inscriptions, this demonstrates the complexity and difficulty of determining the authenticity. This is also why determining the authenticity of the “Statues of Wang Sanniang” is challenging, based on a single piece of evidence. With limited excavated information and other tangible historical records, it becomes necessary to look for clues in other areas. One such suspicious records involves the mention of “Child-giving Guanyin”. This reference, as a singular instance predating the Ming Dynasty, is questionable when considered alongside the premature use of era name before the official announcement of the regime, suggesting a high probability that this inscription is a forgery. The Guanyin statue from the third year of the Renshou of the Sui Dynasty, whether in terms of the inscription’s content or the statue’s type, should not be identified as the “Child-giving Guanyin”. This suggests that the claim regarding the origin of Child-giving Guanyin from the Six Dynasties has lost an important documentary backing, which is worthy of reflection on the current issues in the research regarding the origin and dissemination of the Child-giving Guanyin.

There are several print types of original East Asian books, such as woodcut, movable type, and manuscripts by hands. Especially in woodcuts and manuscripts by hands is the possibility of errors caused by misprints and hand writing’s errors is higher. The current method of publishing is also the same problem, but at mid-age everything print or copy was done by hand, so the possiblity of error would be high than now. Therefore, proofreading was a very important and difficult task in the East Asian books. In Korea, the importance of proofreading has recently been emphasized, and there have been several discuss at seminars and several specialized books on proofreading have been published. However, there has not been a rigorous national rule, and the issue of Han-character processing in particular has not been discussed. In this article, I discuss in detail the principles of proofreading prevailing in Korea, and hope find develop solutions.

Written in the Heian period, Shinsenjikyo was the first radical categorized ancient dictionary in Japan to overhaul the radicals of Han characters. Domestic scholars got new progress in various aspects of its research. However, they have neglected the radical research of Shinsenjikyo, and there was a lack of discussion on the source of its new radicals and the basis for transforming them. First, this article attempts to discuss the radical reform method of the book. Shinsenjikyo has made various transformations and adjustments to radicals, including changing the arrangement of radicals, adding new radicals, reducing the number of radicals, and readjusting the returned characters. Next, this article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the Shinsenjikyo in the treatment of radicals. Through these discussions, we can see the differences between Chinese and Japanese ancient dictionaries and it will also help us have a clearer understanding of their relationships and characteristics.

It has been a consensus among academic circles that the Ten-Line Edition of Da Guang Yi Hui Yu Pian from the Imperial House Library of Japan is “Song Dynasty carved and Yuan Dynasty revised”, but each scholar lacks a detailed judgment basis. The investigation of the broken line of the column frame and the engraving artist’s name as well as the proofreading with the same version system of Song version (remaining pages) from Kanazawa Bunko, can provide a partial basis for where is “Song carving” and where is “Yuan repair” in the Archives and Mausolea Department collection, and correct the mistakes made by predecessors in the judgment process. The vulgar character in the name of the engraving artist advanced the appearance of liu (刘) in paper documents to the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty.