A new historical analysis published in the International Journal of Arts and Technology challenges existing explanations for why Chinese characters developed their distinctive square shapes.
The researchers, led by Man Dai, examined how Chinese writing evolved and considered whether its square form resulted from linguistic units at different levels: phonemes, syllables, morphemes, or words. They distinguished between the linguistic unit a character represents and the physical space its written form occupies.
Previous explanations attributed the square configuration to the semantic structure of Chinese characters, the simplicity of their component shapes, or cultural preferences for symmetry and square forms. The new analysis suggests that no single factor alone explains the development. Other writing systems also use semantic construction or simple symbols but did not develop comparable square outlines.
Instead, Dai and colleagues propose that square-shaped writing cells emerged through gradual regularization. The grouping of graphic components, changes in character structure, and practical demands of writing with brushes on materials such as bamboo slips helped establish the consistent shape. Later scribes and printing practices reinforced the convention, while cultural preferences may have supported its continuation.