A Discussion On Polyphonic Characters In Guangyun

The Polyphonic Characters in Guangyun with great historical and practical value provide very significant phonetic materials for the study of Chinese language's history. This thesis gives a comprehensive statement on the scholars' achievements and viewpoints and points out the problems which are not solved yet. Based on the grand old men and other scholars' productions, we've systematically put in order, counted and discussed the polyphonic characters in Guangyun, using the method of statistical analysis, collation and contrast the present with the past. We have three proposes. First, revealing the phonetic notation of the polyphonic characters. Second, getting the exact number of the polyphonic characters. Third, examining the rimes of the polyphonic characters in order to find out their cause, origin and nature.The phonetic notation of the polyphonic characters is complex in Guangyun. There are 5008 polyphonic characters and 19677 characters in Guangyun.Whether there are many polyphonic characters between two in sixty-one rime series is relative to Archaic Chinese rime categories which the two rime series belong to. The series of polyphonic characters are the results of separation and evolution of Archaic Chinese rime categories.