Interpretation of the Cultural Connotations of the Characters in the “Female” Radical Section of “Shuowen Jiezi”

汉字作为中华文明的核心符码，其构形与语义映射着社会文化的深层逻辑。《说文解字》(以下简称《说文》)作为我国首部系统性文字学著作，为探究古代社会风貌提供了珍贵资料。本文聚焦《说文》“女”部字，通过梳理其字形分类与文化内涵，剖析古代社会对女性的审美取向、伦理规范及价值评判，进而反思此类观念的成因及其对当代性别文化的潜在影响。Chinese characters, as the core semiotic code of Chinese civilization, exhibit profound connections between their graphic structures, semantic meanings, and the deep-seated logic of socio-cultural evolution. “Shuowen Jiezi” (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters, hereafter Shuowen), China’s first systematic lexicographical work, provides invaluable material for exploring ancient social landscapes. This study focuses on the nü-bu (女部, female radical) characters in the Shuowen, analyzing their graphic classification and cultural connotations to reveal ancient societal norms regarding aesthetics, ethical constraints, and value judgments imposed on women. Furthermore, it interrogates the historical formation of these ideologies and their latent implications for contemporary gender discourse.