This paper systematically reviews the academic achievements, core theories and methodologies of Françoise Bottéro, a French sinologist, in the field of oracle bone inscription studies. In contrast to her widely recognized research on Shuowen Jiezi, Bottéro’s work on oracle bone inscriptions has received relatively insufficient attention. This paper analyzes her research from multiple perspectives, including her research stance, typological construction, studies of graphic variants, and views on the origin of Chinese characters. Bottéro insisted on a linguistically oriented approach, opposing the simplistic classification of oracle bone inscriptions as “pictographic writing” and emphasizing their essential nature as a symbolic system for recording language. Her use of terminology reflects a sophisticated understanding of the multi-dimensionality of writing. Her typological system of oracle bone characters divides graphs into five categories: pictographs, phonetic markers, abstract graphs, compound graphs, and graphic variants, which transcends the traditional Liushu framework. Through an in-depth analysis of “compound graphs”, she reveals the unique coding logic by which oracle bone inscriptions coin verbs and abstract concepts through symbolic combination. Her systematic research on graphic variants in oracle bone inscriptions represents a prominent contribution. She summarizes nine types of synchronic graphic variation and argues that the existence of such variants reflects the lack of standardization in the oracle bone script system. Meanwhile, the increasing use of phonetic components indicates the trend toward phonosemantic compound formation, a key evolutionary direction that would later dominate the development of Chinese characters. In addition, this paper evaluates her reinterpretation of the function and textual nature of oracle bone inscriptions, in which she regards them as complete, readable texts recording spoken language. Nevertheless, this paper also points out the limitations of her research, particularly her discourse on the origin of Chinese characters. Her skepticism toward the Neolithic origin of Chinese characters and her inclination toward the “Western origin theory of Chinese characters” bear the mark of Eurocentrism, failing to fully consider archaeological evidence and the complexity of the independent evolution of civilizations. In summary, this paper holds that Bottéro’s research has provided an important linguistic analytical framework for oracle bone studies. At the same time, it advocates that future research should adopt a critical perspective while absorbing her theoretical achievements, so as to promote an in-depth dialogue between Chinese and Western scholarship on an equal footing.

Guang-Yun and Ji-Yun are the two rhyme books that are mainly cited in the Hanyu Da Zidian for phonetic notations and interpretations. However, due to some errors in the quotations, errors such as phonetic errors, misquotations and other errors are derived. A series of omissions such as improper matching of phonetic items and sound and meaning. Building on a systematic analysis of mispronounced characters in the Hanyu Da Zidian, this paper takes the nine Chinese characters “欏” “琤” “捰” “掄” “朦” “适” “闓” “仡” “眄” as an example, when citing Guang-Yun and Ji-Yun in the second edition of the Hanyu Da Zidian, the phonetic notations and examine existing problems in the matching of sound and meaning and provide revision suggestions.