Several years ago I wrote an article comparing the vernacular character scripts of Tai-speaking peoples north and south of the China-Vietnam border, and made a preliminary case for finding older and newer layers in the Tày vernacular script. The argument was based on the identification of the historical strata reflected in the readings of Chinese characters. The results showed a relatively high degree of commonality between part of the Tày script and the Zhuang scripts in the West River area in central Guangxi, an area which is known to have been subject to strong Chinese cultural influence for the last 1800 years or so. Another part of the Tày vernacular script was completely different from any of the Zhuang and Bouyei scripts north of the border. My hypothesis was that the first layer was relatively old, and the second layer was more recent and came from a separate source. I am now in a position to propose a possible source for this more recent layer: the Vietnamese vernacular script. Evidence will come from two sources: traditional Tày and Vietnamese manuscripts, and relevant entries in Nguyễn Quang Hồng’s dictionary of the Vietnamese vernacular script (2014). The implications of this finding will be briefly discussed.

The study of Chinese character cultural sphere or Sinosphere, for a long time, has primarily focused on the influence of Chinese character on the development of written forms in the regions of East and South Asia. The impact of Chinese character on scripts developed in neighboring North Asia, namely the Mongolian steppes, has received less attention, due to the multilingualism and complex trajectory of written forms changes in that area. Based on historical documents, stele carvings and cultural relics discovered since the 20th century, this study focuses on the two types of Khitan characters —large script and small script — created in North Asia in the 10th century and popularly used in centuries to examine the relationship between Khitan script, also its successor, the Jurchen script, and Chinese characters in terms of form, sound, and meaning, analyzing their borrowings, similarities and differences with Chinese characters. The study finds that the creation of the two types of Khitan scripts adhered to the structure and elements of Chinese characters in different degree with different invention strategies, but also introduced modifications and innovations, creating new glyphs and rules to suit the needs of written down Khitan language and expressing meaning. The creation of Jurchen large and small scripts, the successor to the Khitan scripts, was a borrowing and adaptation of the Khitan scripts, directly or indirectly a reaction to the historical spread, impact of Chinese character in North Asia. This study demonstrates the promotion and contribution of Chinese character to the scripts development of ethnic groups in the multilingual and multicultural context of North Asia, providing new data and new perspectives on studies of Sinosphere as well as studies of written forms generated from diverse sources around the world.

This study builds upon the problem consciousness of the preceding paper and offers a genealogical analysis of the historical experience and political symbolism embedded in China’s space development naming system. In particular, it traces—on the basis of textual evidence, chronological reconstruction, and tabular analysis—the symbolic politics through which the Long March (長征) launch vehicles and the Dongfanghong (東方紅) satellite are genealogically connected to the subsequent series of Shenzhou (神舟), Tiangong (天宮), Tianwen (天問), and Zhurong (祝融). The analysis examines how these names organize national identity, socialist revolutionary memory, and traditional cosmological and poetic resources, exemplified by Qu Yuan’s Tianwen. Chapters 1-3 provide a detailed reconstruction of the internal genealogy of Chinese space naming practices, while Chapters 4-5 present a comparative civilizational analysis in relation to Western naming conventions, with supplementary reference to Russian, European, Japanese, and Indian cases. The core arguments of this paper are threefold. First, Chinese space naming interweaves revolutionary memory, traditional cosmology, and national strategy through the pictographic and semantic condensation characteristic of the logographic Chinese script (漢字). Second, the “revolution–technology” transformation mechanism established through Dongfanghong and Long March is systematized in the Shenzhou, Tiangong, Tianwen, and Zhurong programs. Third, this constellation of names simultaneously targets domestic mobilization and international branding, narrating a trajectory of self-reliance, national strengthening, and expansion toward deep space.

This paper examines the Chinese-Japanese homographic words dìngyuán and teiin from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives. By combining textual analysis of dictionary definitions with quantitative data from corpora, it systematically compares their lexical and grammatical features as well as applications in linguistic landscapes. The findings are that dìngyuán and teiin share a basic semantic meaning, both referring to “the prescribed number of people,” but exhibit differences in word formation, parts of speech, syntactic distribution, and semantic tendencies. Additionally, the paper explores their specific applications in linguistic landscapes, highlighting differences in the use of homographic words under different cultural contexts. This study clarifies the commonalities and distinctions between dìngyuán and teiin, which provides empirical references for contrastive studies of Chinese-Japanese homographic words.

This study employs the Jaccard coefficient and cosine similarity to systematically assess the differences and integration of immunology terminology across the Taiwan Strait in terms of both character form and semantics. The results indicate that, at the character level, the similarity increased from 0.3894 to 0.6992 after conversion between traditional and simplified characters and through standardization efforts, representing a rise of 79.53%. This suggests that character form is a primary factor contributing to the differences in terminology across the Strait, but can be effectively bridged through standardization. At the semantic level, there is a high overall consistency (average cosine similarity of 0.687), with 40.8% of terms showing high consistency, 43.8% exhibiting moderate differences in word formation, and 15.4% demonstrating significant semantic divergence, mainly stemming from translation strategies and regional language habits. The study reveals the fundamental characteristic of immunology terminology across the Strait as being “formally different yet semantically similar” and proposes the establishment of a “dual-track governance” strategy to eliminate character barriers through technological means, focus on semantic alignment for low-similarity terms, and promote the creation of a dynamic terminology database and interface support, thereby achieving efficient integration of academic knowledge and barrier-free communication across the Strait.

The study investigates the phenomenon of corresponding Chinese characters in relation to Sino-Vietnamese elements (SVEs). Generally, each SVE corresponds to one Chinese character. However, the SVE system also contains cases in which multiple SVEs share similar or corresponding Chinese characters. Among 3,010 commonly used SVEs, 201 elements were identified as having similar corresponding Chinese characters, accounting for 6.6% of the data surveyed. The phenomenon of corresponding Chinese character similarity in SVEs is formed based on the relationship between SVEs and their corresponding Chinese characters in terms of pronunciation and meaning. This phenomenon is categorized into two groups: the first group is formed based on the adaptation of Chinese characters with multiple pronunciations; the second group is formed based on the adaptation of Chinese characters with multiple meanings. The number of SVEs in group 1 includes 129 elements、 accounting for 64%, while group 2 includes 72 elements, accounting for 36%. This reflects that the formation of SVEs tends to favor phonetic compatibility over semantic compatibility with the original Chinese characters. This phenomenon differs from the phenomenon of phonetic variation in SVEs. Though both phenomena share similarities in terms of their correlation with Chinese script and linguistic complexity, they differ in meaning and substitutability. In terms of origin, phonetic variation arises from factors such as name taboo、 phonetic distortion, and linguistic habit. In contrast, the phenomenon of corresponding Chinese character similarity in SVEs reflects the Vietnamese language’s ability to adapt Chinese script both selectively and creatively in terms of meaning. This phenomenon also demonstrates the capacity of Vietnamese to both preserve similarity and creatively modify pronunciation when assimilating Chinese script. The methods of expanding pronunciations in SVEs (five methods) reflect the diversity and also the lack of standardization in the process of forming this system of increased pronunciations. The phenomenon of corresponding Chinese character similarity in SVEs also reflects the capacity for development and the influence of Chinese characters in terms of meaning and pronunciation within a distinct linguistic environment like Vietnamese.

The photocopy of Vietnamese Chinese and Yanxing Documents (Compiled in Vietnam) published by Fudan University Press is a set of manuscripts about Vietnamese Chinese and Yanxing documents during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, in which the copywriters used a large number of vulgar characters. Some of these vulgar characters were common characters in the East Asian Chinese character cultural circle at that time, while others had significant national characteristics and were only found in Vietnamese Chinese documents. Although some are found in books such as Big Chinese Dictionary, they are obviously inconsistent with the meanings in books. The two characters “ ” and “ ” are the nonstandard characters of “筆 (Bi)”, “丕” is the nonstandard character of “歷 (Li)”, “澫” and “ ” are the nonstandard characters formed by cursive script of “漢 (Han)”, and “ ” is the nonstandard characters of “考 (Kao)”.

Tadasuke Takata was a prominent scholar in the study of Chinese characters in modern Japan. The concept of graphic variation reflected in his work Kochūhen holds significant theoretical value and research importance. This paper focuses on his writings to systematically examine Takata’s歸納 and interpretation of the evolutionary patterns of Chinese characters. From a diachronic perspective, his theory of graphic variation summarises five major patterns of character evolution from the standpoint of structural change: component addition, component omission, semantic adaptation, component substitution, and comprehensive transformation. At the same time, it reveals the mechanisms behind the development of Chinese characters from both internal and external dimensions, discussing the influence of human writing habits and other factors on graphical evolution. His approach was not only methodologically pioneering but also provided an important reference for subsequent research on character evolution. As a foundational study on the structural evolution of Chinese characters, it is a cornerstone of modern East Asian character theory. His systematic歸納 and research demonstrate considerable advancement and offer valuable insights for understanding the development of East Asian character studies. However, his work is also limited by inconsistent classification, lack of depth in analysis, frequent misinterpretations of character forms, and superficial theoretical explanations, which overall restrict its academic impact.

Cefu Yuangui (冊府元龜) extensively quotes texts from the “Seventeen Histories”. Due to the considerable temporal distance between its compilation and the original works, numerous variant texts appear in its citations of Records of the Grand Historian (史記), among which variant characters are particularly common. These variant texts include a significant number of narrow-sense variant characters, such as heterogeneous characters and graphic variants, as well as a smaller number of partial variant characters bearing characteristics of their respective periods. The phenomenon of variant characters in the Cefu Yuangui’s citations of Records of the Grand Historian reflects, to some extent, the differences in character usages between the Han and Song dynasties, while also revealing the characteristics of Chinese character usages in different eras and certain patterns in the evolution of Chinese characters.

Loanwords are products of intercultural exchange among different ethnic groups. They serve as mirrors reflecting linguistic integration and offer valuable insights into the evolution of Chinese vocabulary. Ancient phonetic loanwords refer to foreign words transliterated into Chinese prior to the introduction of Buddhist scriptures. As early as the Western Han period, texts such as Discourses on Salt and Iron (Yantie Lun) and Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital (Xijing Zaji) already mention the substance “liúlí” (琉璃), recognized in Buddhism as one of the seven precious treasures of the human world. These records reveal a wealth of word forms and usage examples. The motivation behind its naming warrants exploration. Qing scholar Duan Yucai associated the term with the character “liú” (𤥗) found in the Shuowen Jiezi. Whether this connection is valid remains a subject of inquiry. This paper examines 59 distinct word forms of “liúlí” (琉璃) used in Chinese Buddhist scriptures and secular Chinese texts. It investigates the selection of Chinese characters for phonetic transliteration, aiming to shed light on Chinese speakers’ perceptions of transliterated words, the role of script in the Sinicization of foreign terms, and the impact of loanwords on the structure of the Chinese lexicon.

This study attempts to propose several criteria for examining the typology of Old Chinese, with a particular focus on determining what kind of language type the Warring States Chu slips represent. By applying the diagnostic tools suggested in this study, we can both acquire a way of observing language types and establish an objective method for linguistic analysis. First, the study argues that Old Chinese in certain respects shows features of a “split-ergative system,” and it deduces the language type by looking at the personal pronouns in the Chu slips. Next, in order to determine whether the Chu slips of the Warring States period indeed represent a split-ergative language, the study sets up five basic criteria of observation: (1) person (animacy or definiteness); (2) tense and aspect (the verbal domain); (3) the autonomy of the verb phrase (the domain of semantics); (4) other methods for detecting language type; and (5) patient-subject constructions. By applying this set of observations, the study presents actual examples of the language type found in the Chu slips and tests the effectiveness of the method.

This paper systematically examines the usage of characters representing the semantic concepts of {teaching} and {learning} in excavated documents. The study finds that during the Yinxu Oracle Bone Inscriptions period, the character “爻” (yáo), which depicts counting rods, and its various derived forms had already begun to denote meanings related to teaching and learning. However, by the Spring and Autumn period, these characters still lacked clear functional differentiation, exhibiting a long-standing phenomenon of lexical polysemy covering both the act of teaching and the act of learning. During the Warring States period, the agent and patient processes of teaching and learning gradually became distinguished in written forms, showing clear regional variations. The Chu-series script created derived characters such as “ ” exclusively for {教}, and “ ” for {學}. In contrast, the Qin-series script used “學” for {學} and “教” for {教}. After the Eastern Han dynasty, the writing conventions from around the time of the Qin unification were largely retained. However, the character “斆” came to be used for both meanings, leading to a resurgence of the agent-patient polysemy phenomenon. The development of educational systems and conceptual frameworks gradually separated the processes of teaching and learning. Concurrently, the pursuit of precise and concise expression in writing, along with the internal optimization and adjustment of the relationship between Chinese characters and words, also drove the differentiation and evolution of the written forms for {教} and {學}.

This study systematically investigates the diachronic evolution and synchronic distribution of Chinese verbs denoting “affectionate care”, developing an integrated research framework of “diachronic sorting-synchronic comparison-motivational interpretation”. In the diachronic dimension, the semantic field exhibits distinct phased successions: During Archaic Chinese, it was centered on core verbs including ai (愛), ci (慈), and lian (憐); in Medieval Chinese, ai further consolidated its dominance while peripheral terms underwent gradual attrition; by Early Modern Chinese, tong (痛) and teng (疼) entered the semantic field, with teng eventually securing dominance—coupled with a prominent disyllabization trend. In the synchronic dimension, modern Chinese dialects form a distribution pattern characterized by the dual-core dominance of teng (疼) and tong (痛) and a north-south distributional contrast, supplemented by dialect-specific lexemes endowed with regional distinctiveness, such as xi (惜) and zhitian (值鈿). The research further reveals four key findings: First, dialectal lexical differences stem from the divergence of cognitive construal patterns. Second, their synchronic distribution constitutes the spatial superimposition of historical lexical layers in Chinese. Third, the primary categorization of lexical meanings and the evolution of hyponymic-hypernymic structures jointly drive the refinement of semantic representation. Fourth, dialectal diffusion paths align closely with historical transportation arteries such as the “Yangtze-Huaihe radiation route” and the “Grand Canal-Yellow River corridor”. This study not only advances the specialized research on the “affectionate care” semantic field but also offers new data and insights for research on Chinese lexical history, semantic field theory, and emotion verbs.

There are many versions of the Manchu-Chinese billingual textbook Qingwen Zhiyao, not only the early Chinese translation version, but also the later adaptation of Beijing Mandarin. This paper mainly discusses the expression of the cause-effect sentences in Manchu and Chinese in the Chinese version and the adapted version. It is found that the cause-effect sentences in the Chinese version showed a special grammatical phenomenon caused by the interference of Manchu, such as the use of the post marker “cause sentence - g, effect sentence” and the superimposed relevance marker “g1-cause sentence - g2, effect sentence”. The grammatical matching conditions of cause-effect sentences in Manchu and Chinese include the similar grammatical meaning, the same grammatical position and high frequency use. The Manchu interference feature of the adapted version is weakened, and the postposition mark basically disappears and there is a phenomenon of matching deviation. The reasons for matching deviation include linguistic and social factors, differences in markedness between Manchu and Chinese languages, and the distance between Manchu and Chinese language types, which make it difficult for post markers to transfer into Chinese; The decrease in contact between Manchu and Han ethnic groups and changes in language policies have also led to the adaptation ultimately returning to the Chinese way of expression.

As a special type of script sign, the huaya (personal cipher or stylized signature) is ubiquitous in Chinese contracts. While ethnic communities in southwest China adopted the well-developed Han contractual format, they also imported these highly individual ciphers. Because most local parties had only a limited command of written Chinese, the original cursive signatures quickly evolved into non-lexical marks that no longer contained the signer’s name. Executed in simpler strokes and highly variable shapes, such marks could differ from one contract to another even for the same person, and one and the same mark might be used by several different individuals. Consequently, the huaya’s capacity to distinguish one signer from another was greatly weakened.

Xinghua Village is a town under the jurisdiction of Fenyang City, Shanxi Province, located in the eastern foothills of the Luliang Mountains and the western edge of the Taiyuan Basin, known as “the first village in the world of poetry and wine”. The Xinghuacun dialect belongs to the small part of Fenzhou in the Jin Luliang area, which has certain regional characteristics, and its linguistic appearance has not been revealed so far, so the research in this paper is very meaningful. The phonetic research of Xinghua Village dialect is based on first-hand corpus obtained from field research, and the phonetic system of Xinghua Village is described in detail on the basis of traditional dialectological research. There are a total of 25 initials in the Xinghua Village dialect, including zero initials; There are 54 final vowels, including the final vowels that act as voiced fricatives; There are 5 word tones, among which the ancient full turbidity returns to the sound, and the ancient turbidity is flat, and the whole turbidity is returned to the yin. At the same time, the sound, rhyme, and tone of the Xinghuacun dialect are further compared with the middle sounds, revealing its phonetic characteristics and exploring its evolution laws.

This paper offers a comprehensive philological and paleographical examination of two cursive-script (caoshu) paper manuscripts from the ancient kingdom of Loulan, both attributed to a scribe named Chaoji (超濟), whose hand is also identified with Zhang Ji (張濟) or Zhang Jicheng (張濟逞) in earlier scholarship. Discovered by Sven Hedin in March 1901 and first published by Sten Konow in 1920, these documents have since attracted sustained scholarly attention from Japanese and Chinese researchers, including Akai Kiyomi, Lin Meicun, Meng Fanren, Hou Can, Yang Daixin, and most recently Chen Ling, Zhang Yongqiang. Despite decades of study, significant disagreements persist regarding the transcription of numerous cursive glyphs, primarily due to the highly abbreviated and fluid nature of the script, compounded by physical deterioration of the manuscripts. Drawing upon comparative analysis of cursive forms from contemporaneous sources—including Dunhuang manuscripts, Jin dynasty calligraphic models by Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, Han bamboo slips, and other Loulan texts—this study re-evaluates contested characters in both documents. Key reinterpretations include identifying “虎” (tiger, possibly a personal name) instead of “帝” in “羌虎”; reading “與” (with/to give) rather than “足” or “具” in “與所履”; preferring “夏” (summer) and “享其宜” (enjoying well-being) over “多” and “早其宜”; and transcribing “見兄甚勞” (seeing elder brother, [he is] very weary) instead of “昌弟云”. Each proposed reading is supported by formal glyphic comparison and contextual coherence. The paper also clarifies phrases such as “湌食如常” (eating as usual) and “差錯” (mistakes), reinforcing the semantic plausibility of the new transcriptions. Beyond resolving specific textual cruxes, this study illuminates the high level of calligraphic artistry in Chaoji’s hand and contributes to our understanding of the development of cursive script during the Han-Jin transition, particularly its role as a precursor to later Chinese character simplification. These refined readings provide a more accurate foundation for historical, linguistic, and cultural research into the Silk Road’s eastern frontier during the third to fourth centuries CE.

This paper examines a selection of problematic characters, words, and passages from Dunhuang manuscripts, employing methodologies from philology, textual criticism, and pragmatics to conduct a detailed textual analysis and propose new interpretations. The study argues that: 1) The term “一惠” in manuscript S.328 (The Tale of Wu Zixu) should be understood as “an insignificant meal,” a meaning derived from Middle Chinese expressions like “一饭之惠” (the kindness of a single meal), reflecting ancient ethical views on minor acts of kindness.2) The phrase “不搂” in P.2952 (Twelve Hours: Exhortation to Study) should be interpreted as “not enough,” belonging to a series of popular characters with “婁” as the phonetic component, expressing a rhetorical question in context. 3) In P.2553 (The Tale of Wang Zhaojun), “此难” should be amended to “路难”, a correction supported by residual stroke features and consistent with the anadiplosis rhetorical device and the yuefu motif. 4) “觉天长” should be reverted to the original manuscript reading “天觉长” to maintain parallelism with the preceding line “夜即短”. 5) The phrase “汉使来吊” originally included the character “到” in the manuscript and should not be considered a redundancy. 6) The punctuation of the line “单于欲别” resulted from a misunderstanding of the verse structure and contextual logic and requires adjustment. These cases collectively highlight comprehension errors arising from factors such as difficult-to-decipher popular script, neglect of context, and oversight of literary form during the transcription, interpretation, and compilation of Dunhuang manuscripts. This research aims to provide a reference for the accurate interpretation and systematic scholarly compilation of relevant texts.

This paper reviews the development of research on weather-related oracle bone divinations over the past century, providing a comprehensive overview and critical assessment of relevant studies. Since the discovery of oracle bones, research on meteorological inscriptions can be broadly divided into three stages: the “Formative Period” (1899-1940), the “Development Period” (1940-1991), and the “Breakthrough Period” (1991 to the present). Early scholarship primarily focused on the identification and interpretation of individual terms related to weather phenomena. Subsequently, scholars began to synthesize meteorological records found in oracle bones and explore their connections with Shang society, agriculture, warfare, and other activities. Since the latter half of the 20th century, research methods have gradually diversified. In addition to deepening contextual analyses of meteorological divinations, scholars have incorporated statistical, archaeological, and climatological approaches in an effort to reconstruct the climate of the Shang period. In recent years, with progress in oracle-bone fragment rejoining and the discovery of new materials, the understanding of meteorological inscriptions has become increasingly refined, paving the way for interdisciplinary dialogue. This study surveys the evolution of both research findings and methodologies related to oracle-bone divinations about weather, critically evaluating their strengths and limitations while outlining potential future directions. It also aims to promote further integration between oracle-bone studies and paleoclimate research.

This study takes Shiwuyiming Jiaozhu (Annotated Synonyms of Things), compiled by Yu Tingbi in the Ming dynasty and collated by Yang Shengxin in the early Qing, as its primary source. Focusing on the seasonal synonyms of spring, summer, autumn, and winter under the category of “Shiling” (Seasons), it examines their origins, semantic features, and the temporal concepts and cognitive modes they reflect. As a significant phenomenon in Chinese linguistic culture, synonyms (yiming) reveal not only lexical diversity but also the agricultural experience, religious beliefs, and cosmological order of traditional society. The paper first analyzes the etymology of the four season names, noting their derivation from natural phenomena and farming practices. It then investigates the sources of seasonal synonyms, highlighting two major patterns: those based on the system of Five Phases, directions, and colors, and those organized under secondary subcategories such as “…shen” (deities) and “…jing” (sceneries). The former links to ritual deities, while the latter originates from literary and aesthetic depictions. Furthermore, a comparative perspective shows that Chinese thought emphasizes cyclical and holistic modes of cognition, conceiving time as a process of generation, growth, harvest, and storage, whereas Western traditions tend toward analytic thinking and a linear model of time, metaphorically associating seasons with stages of life and decay. In conclusion, the seasonal synonyms in Shiwuyiming Jiaozhu are not merely lexical variations but cultural crystallizations of a multi-layered cognitive process that integrates concrete, imagistic, and abstract thinking. This study deepens our understanding of the interplay between language, culture, and cognition in ancient China and provides new insights for cross-cultural studies of temporal concepts.