1. Ideographic characters: Monolithic word-making method belongs to the most primitive word-making method, which uses lines or strokes of characters to outline the shape characteristics of the object to be expressed.

2. Indication: The main difference between single word-making and pictographic method is that indicating words contain more abstract things in painting.

3. Pictophonetic characters: combined word-making method. Pictophonetic characters are composed of pictophonetic characters (also known as "semantic symbols") and phonetic characters (also known as "notes"). The shape side indicates the meaning or category of words, and the sound side indicates that the pronunciation of words is the same or similar.

4. Understanding: combined word formation method, an understandable word consists of two or more unique words, which are combined to express the meaning of the word.

With regard to the method of creating Chinese characters, since the Han Dynasty, there has been a saying of "six books" along the border. The first of the six books is hieroglyphics. Generally speaking, the methods of creating Chinese characters are pictographic method, indicating method, knowing method, pictophonetic method, phonetic method, annotation method and borrowing method. But strictly speaking, money transfer and borrowing should belong to the method of using words.

In fact, there were no six books before the ancients made Chinese characters. Because Chinese characters had developed quite systematically in Shang Dynasty, there were no records about six books at that time. Liu Shu is a system for later generations to analyze and summarize Chinese characters. However, when the "Six Books" system came into being, people used this system as the basis when creating new words.

Therefore, pictophonetic characters have become the most convenient method. As long as you use the word "fish" next to the shape, you can explain their genus, and then distinguish these words with similar pronunciation. Because pictophonetic characters are very efficient in creating new words, less than half of the characters in Oracle Bone Inscriptions era were pictophonetic characters, but in modern times, 80% of Chinese characters are pictophonetic characters.

The role of Chinese characters:

1. Characters reach the time and space limitations of audio language and increase the category of interpersonal communication.

2. Writing can better record human culture according to written language.

3. Words can promote the flexibility of thinking.

4. Writing is an excellent raw material in China's ancient social life and a living fossil of culture.