| Abstract |
According to the classification in Shuo-Wen-Jieh-Tze (《說文解字》, the etymological dictionary authored by Hsu Shen of the Han Dynasty), characters such as “釆”, “番”, “審”(寀), “悉”, “釋”, “（采廾）”, “（采豆廾）”, “奧”, “粵” and “糞” are all listed under the formative element of “釆”. Referring to the unearthed documentation and existing stone tablets, characters “釆” and “番”, whose shape is like animal claw, are the only two under the formative element of “釆”. The other characters such as “審”(寀), “悉”, “釋”, “（采廾）”, “（采豆廾）” and “奧” belong in the formative element of “米” rather than “釆”. This is resulted from the corrupted form of “米” in the seal type of ancient calligraphic style, in which the vertical stroke of “米” was mistaken as “釆” . The character “粵” is derived from the corrupted form of “雩”. In respect of the character of “糞”, the shape of the upper part denotes the rubbish; therefore, it belongs neither in “釆” nor in “米”. Based on the first-hand unearthed documentation, this article intends to reveal the formative development of ancient Chinese characters, to explore their intergradations, and to conclude the reasons of their corrupted forms.
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