Applications and Limitations of the Graphic Analysis Method in the Interpretation of Ancient Chinese Scripts: A Case Study of the Character “nǚ” as a Gender Symbol

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-509-6_50How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Graphic Analysis Method; Character “nǚ”; Oracular Inscriptions; Shuowen jiezi

Abstract

Paleographic decipherment is a critical procedure in Chinese script studies, wherein the Graphic Analysis Method (GAM) —as a time-honored hermeneutic approach— maintains paramount scholarly significance. This methodology operates through systematic examination of grapho-morphological evolution and structural taxonomies inherent to Chinese characters, thereby constructing theoretical frameworks for interpreting undeciphered graphs. However, as the corpus of unearthed materials continues to expand gradually, inherent limitations of the method in practical application contexts have become progressively manifest. This study employs the character “nǚ” as a diachronic exemplar, applying the Graphic Analysis Method to reconstruct its palaeographic trajectory from oracular inscriptions through bronze epigraphy and clerical forms to modern typography, while simultaneously mapping grapho-semantic permutations. This paper revealed that while the graphic dissection of the character “nǚ” distinctly illuminates its evolutionary lineage, it concomitantly exposes intrinsic methodological constraints: the graphic schema inherently lacks the capacity to reflect sociostructural repositioning of women across historical strata and morphocentric analysis inevitably elides semantic functionality dynamics. This paper substantiates that grapho-morphological parsing yields pivotal value in deciphering archaic pristine pictographs, yet necessitates synchronized interrogation with cultural archaeology contexts and semantic metamorphoses tracking. The resultant hermeneutic matrix offers a trans-operational template for palaeographic decipherment, catalyzing synergistic convergence of pluri-dimensional investigative paradigms.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Shijun Pan
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/15
TI  - Applications and Limitations of the Graphic Analysis Method in the Interpretation of Ancient Chinese Scripts: A Case Study of the Character “nǚ” as a Gender Symbol
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Mental Growth and Human Resilience (MGHR 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 460
EP  - 469
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-509-6_50
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-509-6_50
ID  - Pan2025
ER  -