A study of the core semantic features of the radical “ zou 走 ” in Chinese 
characters

Abstract

This study focuses on Chinese characters with the radical “zou 走,” positing that specific semantic features among zou’s semantic features play a central role in their core meanings. The objective is to elucidate the core semantic features observed within the group of characters incorporating zou as a radical. According to the findings, characters with the zou radical can primarily be categorized into two semantic fields: “motion” and “movement,” with a total of 17 related semantic items identified. These generated semantic items appear to differentiate each meaning item due to factors of focus, akin to creating a new lexicon. The core semantic features were derived as [ + Motion][ + Action][+Tool (feet)]. Thus, it is discernible that characters with the zou radical are all related to actions involving feet, indicating motion.