Aspects of the liu shu 六書 theory continue to be used today to analyse Chinese characters, yet most scholars are unaware of the historical context out of which the theory emerged and the controversies surrounding its both initial and subsequent interpretations. I trace the origins of the theory to the Eastern Han and compare its three earliest rival formulations. Subsequent centuries saw a proliferation of interpretations which rendered any attempt at a unified vision of Chinese writing impossible. The trend of adding new explanations was only reversed by the Qing scholars Dai Zhen and Duan Yucai who, drawing on some of the earliest explanations, argued that the theory encapsulated not only the way characters were composed but also their exegesis. Even if they laid the ground for a shared interpretation, Dai and Duan’s take on the Eastern Han scholar Xu Shen did not go unchallenged. I discuss Zhang Taiyan’s and Lu Zongda’s criticism and their attempts to reconcile aspects of the traditional framework with modern linguistics. I finally contrast this updating of an ancient theory with the approach of Qiu Xigui who selectively discards one of the principles and thereby the very feasibility of the framework as a whole.

Many researchers called for a need to expose L2 learners to diverse writing contexts, and L2-L2 interactions using English as a communication tool became more common than communication with native English speakers. The present study introduced two groups of Korean university students to a task, for which they were grouped differently: the first with a group of students at a Chinese university and the second with Chinese students as well as students of a different Korean university. These groups performed a task that they selected from among three choices. In the process of their e-mail exchanges, the students' pre- and post-task perspectives were explored through two surveys. In addition, the students expressed their reflections regarding this experience in writing. Overall, the students seemed to consider this experience of exchanging emails with L2 students speaking a different L1 useful and it helped some students gain confidence in their ability to use English as a communication tool. This study provided an opportunity to expand the writing context in EFL classrooms.