appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Chao Kong

Modern simplified Chinese characters form a tightly connected network from just 514 basic components that evolved through a process similar to natural selection, according to researchers who say their findings could change how Chinese writing is taught.
“Chinese characters evolve like living organisms,” lecturer Xie Yonghui of Shanghai Normal University said on August 24.
The research into the evolution of Chinese writing over thousands of years, led by Huang Wei, of Beijing Language and Culture University and Xie, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Digital Scholarship in the Humanities in January.


Their study of “the structural formation system of modern simplified Chinese characters from a complex network perspective” reveals that a small number of core components – such as 日 (sun), 月 (moon) and 人 (human) – are repeatedly combined to create new characters.
When existing elements were insufficient, entirely new components were invented.
“From ancient times to the present, Chinese characters have evolved from complex to simplified forms, such as the shift from traditional to simplified characters, partly to make writing easier and partly through natural selection driven by usage frequency,” Xie said.
The researchers said this evolutionary pressure produced a system in which a minority of high-frequency components dominated, while less-central elements remained on the margins.
The pattern followed a principle of economy, mirroring the linguistic tendency towards greater output with less effort.
China’s national “Specification of Common Modern Chinese Character Components and Component Names” includes 514 basic character components.
The findings could have practical implications for Chinese-language education, both at home and abroad.
Xie noted that a limited set of components might help learners acquire characters more quickly and reduce the memorisation burden but cautioned against teaching the system in isolation.
“Chinese language formation is indeed systematic, but learners should not simply be taught the system itself,” Xie said.
“Instead, they should be helped to develop an awareness that Chinese character forms have a structural system.”
While the 514-component framework offers insight into how the writing system is organised, Xie said it was not a practical replacement for existing input methods.
The Wubi, or five-stroke, input system, for example, already uses a smaller set of carefully selected radicals optimised for rapid typing.


“Using more than 500 general-purpose components directly for an input method would create too much of a memory and input burden,” Xie said.
Looking ahead, the researchers suggested that work could examine how this structural system could be applied to teaching, information processing and other fields.


China tests first practical submarine solar power plant at 10 metres depth in the open sea

Rare earth exposure can triple low birthweight risk: Chinese study

China must enforce high standards of integrity for scientists

Is China’s fabled Empress Dowager Huayang buried near an airport? A study says yes

Science

Chinese script evolved like a living organism driven by natural selection: study

Researchers say Chinese characters combine core structural components, like sun, moon and human, following an evolutionary pattern shaped by frequency of use.
Photo: Shutterstock

AI can make China’s political language sound more threatening, scholar warns

A Chinese researcher says AI translations should be refined according to context, audience and purpose. Photo: Xinhua

China must guard against cultural misreadings, lapses in logic and value-laden bias when AI translates its political terminology, according to Xian Fanyi University professor Li Yan. Photo: Reuters

10 years, 1,800 survey sites: inside China’s hi-tech push to map linguistic diversity

A visitor listens to different regional dialects at a new exhibition hall showcasing recordings and other language materials from across China at the Hunan Museum in Changsha. Photo: Xinhua

Children perform at the opening ceremony of the hall on August 24, in Changsha, Hunan province. Photo: Xinhua

An interior view of the exhibition hall. Photo: Xinhua

How AI is helping to open a new chapter for ancient Chinese literature

Increasing numbers of medical and scientific texts are availble online. Photo: Getty Images

Online tools can not only help readers search texts but also translate them into modern language and provide background information. Photo: Handout

Many ancient works are largely inaccessible to modern readers. Photo: Xinhua

China faces new AI bottleneck as it runs out of Chinese-language training data

A visitor looks at a large Chinese language dictionary at an exhibition in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong on May 12, 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse

What is Dongba script? The only hieroglyphic system still used today is found in China

Dongba script, the world’s only hieroglyphic script still in use today, was created by Naxi shamans for sacred rituals. Photo: Amandayan

A wall of Dongba script in Lijiang’s Old Town. Photo: Lisa Cam

A Dongba religious manuscript is seen on a ceremonial altar. Photo: Lisa Cam

Marvel Wu, general manager of luxury resort Amandayan, which offers Dongba script writing classes. Photo: Amandayan

He Yaowei, who teaches Dongba script to guests at Amandayan, shows examples of the script. Photo: Lisa Cam. Photo: Lisa Cam

A traditional calligraphy scroll for good luck written in Dongba script is displayed on a wall in Lijiang Old Town. Photo: Lisa Cam

A view of Lijiang’s Old Town. Photo: Getty Images

News

China

Research shows a small set of high-frequency building blocks shaped the writing system through a principle of economy


Research shows a small set of high-frequency building blocks shaped the writing system through a principle of economy.


Chinese culture

Chinese history

Shanghai

Chinese script evolved like a living organism driven by natural selection: study

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Research shows a small set of high-frequency building blocks shaped the writing system through a principle of economy

Research shows a small set of high-frequency building blocks shaped the writing system through a principle of economy