Research on the Etymological Evolution of the Character “xi” ( 觿 )

Abstract

This study takes the xi ( 觿 ) as its central subject, employing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates philology, archaeology,
and ritual culture to systematically investigate its etymological origins and structural evolution. Through analysis of oracle bone and bronze
script glyphs, we demonstrate that the earliest forms of xi pictographically “resembled a horn-tipped tool for untying knots,” unequivocally
revealing its utilitarian functional essence. Furthermore, by examining the phonetic-semantic modification strategies in Western Zhou bronze
inscriptions—particularly the intentional adoption of the xi ( 嶲 ) phonetic component with its dual connotations of sound and meaning—this
research elucidates the dynamic interplay between graphic evolution and ritual institutionalization. The study thus establishes how the character’s structural transformation materially encoded the object’s sociocultural transition from mundane implement to ceremonial symbol.