VIEWING CHINESE WOMEN IMAGES VIA THE CHINESE RADICAL 女 (FEMALE) IN XU SHEN'S "SHUO WEN JIE ZI"

Abstract

The Chinese characters are not only logograms developed for the writing of Chinese but also texts expressing both sounds and meanings. Chinese characters are common words in China, and they have existed with a long history of thousands of years. Chinese characters themselves reflect the Chinese culture in thousands of years, such as Chinese people's perception of the world's things, their thoughts, and other cultural factors. By referring to the Chinese radical 女 (female) in Xu Shen's "Shuo Wen Jie Zi," the study focuses on the ancient Chinese Women images, the ups and downs of their status over Chinese historical stages as well as their roles and sufferings in an ancient society.