Basic Attribute of Individual Chinese Characters:Iconicity

It has been a century since Saussure first proposed arbitrariness of language symbols,and it was a doctrine in linguistic community before mid-20's.Some researchers found remarkable iconicity as well.Arbitrariness and iconicity became two opposite communities which both had its supports since 1990s.This research holds the view that the basic attribute of Chinese characters is iconicity,which is drawn upon certain limits:research subjects are single Chinese characters and the angle is diachronic.Without the two limits,the debate would still go with no end.