On the Structural Characteristics and Phonetic-Semantic Function of Symmetrical Character Combinations in the Dongba Script
This paper examines "symmetrical character combinations" (对称型字组) in the Naxi Dongba script -- cases where two or more characters within a compound recording unit are arranged in mirrored, stacked, interlaced, or side-by-side symmetry. Surveying examples from the published Complete Translated and Annotated Works of Naxi Dongba Ancient Texts, the author distinguishes two underlying relations (coincidence/overlap and correspondence) and six formal techniques (mirroring, interlacing, opposition, repeated writing, centering, and numeric matching), and shows that such symmetry displays hierarchy, relativity, and incompleteness. Functionally, symmetrical combinations record units ranging from single syllables to complex sentences, and their symmetrical structure often supplements or emphasizes meanings such as position, division, parallelism, reciprocal action, quantity, and attribute. The author concludes this symmetry, present since the script's origin, is a distinctive primitive feature meriting further comparative study.
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