Component Analysis of Oracle Bone Inscriptions
Tingzhu Chen · 2026
This chapter investigates the component system of oracle bone inscriptions (OBIs) through multiple attributes including hierarchical level, character-forming capacity, spatial orientation, and word-representation function. This study pioneers a comprehensive, multi-layered quantitative analysis of the OBI component system. From 5,955 single-character glyphs, 15,168 components were extracted, comprising 2,169 unique components and 1,685 monomeric components. Hierarchically, the system exhibits limited levels, with a maximum of four. Superior components total 2,160 (99.59% of unique components), while subordinate components number 291 (13.42%), including 291 at level two, 57 at level three, and merely six at level four. Spatial analysis reveals symmetrical patterns in component arrangement, indicating the emergence of the characteristic block structure of Chinese characters. However, as an early script, most components demonstrate considerable positional flexibility despite some constraint by inherent meaning. Notably, 608 components possess word-representation functions: 314 pictographic, 58 indicative, 356 ideographic, and 260 picto-phonetic, with 263 components serving two or more functions. While the overall functional repertoire is relatively complete, individual components typically exhibit singular functions and low efficiency. The system demonstrates two contrasting characteristics: a significant proportion of low-frequency components coexists with a scarcity of multi-layered components; and individual components show free positional distribution while the overall arrangement trends toward high uniformity.