Abstract:
The hierarchy of formation is one of the important characteristics of Chinese characters. A raise of the average of systematic hierarchical formation of Chinese characters marks in a way the maturity of the system of Chinese characters. In order to the relative changes of formative hierarchy of Chinese characters in different historical phases, this study investigates the hierarchical character of several symbol collections by equal-capacity high-frequency and succeeding samples respectively. The results of investigation show that the influence of official script and regular script on the hierarchy of Chinese characters shows itself mainly in succeeded characters. The interaction between the descent of the hierarchy of succeeded characters and the ascent of newly-created characters has led to the ascending tendency of the average hierarchy of Chinese characters as a whole after the variation of official script.
