The Representation of Ancient Chinese Currency Culture in the Bei Section of Shuowen Jiezi

As a foundational work of Chinese character graphology and ancient Chinese lexicology, Shuowen Jiezi records a large number of ancient Chinese character pattern and their interpretations and provides valuable documents for the study of ancient Chinese numismatic culture. This paper focuses on the part of the character bei (shell) in Shuowen Jiezi and reveals the status and evolution of the bei character and its related character families in the ancient monetary system through detailed glyph research and semantic analysis. In this paper, the evolution of the character bei from a medium of shell exchange to a symbol of wealth and monetary value is carried out, and the practical application and value standard of the character bei in ancient economic activities are reconstructed, and the role of the character bei in the naming and use of ancient coins is accurately defined. The research results not only provide a new perspective and theoretical basis for the study of paleography and monetary history, but also have important significance for understanding the symbolic carrier function of Chinese characters in commercial culture, as well as the economic structure and currency circulation mechanism of ancient society.