New Materials and Methodological Innovation in the Exegetical Study of Warring States Scripts: Focusing on the Chu Slips Characters Nan, Ti, and the Variant Form of Li in the Tsinghua Bamboo Manuscript Liang Zhong

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_13How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Warring States scripts; new materials; methodological innovation; case studies in character interpretation; graphic variation; script standardization

Abstract

In recent years, the large-scale excavation and publication of Warring States bamboo manuscripts, including the Chu slips and the Tsinghua bamboo slips, have fundamentally renewed both the material basis and the conceptual framework of Warring States script studies. These discoveries have propelled the field toward a new research stage characterized by the centrality of newly unearthed materials and the parallel application of multiple methodologies. Against the historical backdrop of phonological divergence and graphic diversity during the Warring States period, this paper examines the identification of the original characters (ben zi) of nan and ti in Chu manuscripts, as well as the interpretation of the variant form of li in the Tsinghua manuscript Liang Zhong. Through a systematic review of recent advances in the use of materials, research methods, and the understanding of evolutionary patterns, the study employs an integrated approach combining phonological, graphic, and semantic analysis, graphic genealogical reconstruction, and cross-textual corroboration. It demonstrates the semantic stability and internal logic underlying graphic variation in Warring States scripts and further elucidates the historical relationship between graphic variation and the policy of script standardization (shu tong wen zi). In doing so, the paper highlights the scholarly significance of new materials and methodological innovation in reconstructing the developmental history of Chinese characters.

Copyright

© 2026 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  - Zhaojia Xiao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
TI  - New Materials and Methodological Innovation in the Exegetical Study of Warring States Scripts: Focusing on the Chu Slips Characters Nan, Ti, and the Variant Form of Li in the Tsinghua Bamboo Manuscript Liang Zhong
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities and Arts (SSHA 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 128
EP  - 136
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_13
ID  - Xiao2026
ER  -