| Space concept is the base of human cognition. The Spatialization of Form Hypothesis (SFH) maintains that the transition from physical space into conceptual space is achieved via metaphorical mapping. Conceptual structure is also understood in terms of image schemas plus metaphorical mapping. Image schema could be both in a dynamic state and a static state; nearly all of them possess these two characteristics. However, dozens of studies on academic discourse carried out over the past 20 years hold that Image Schemas could mostly be presented as dynamic image schema. This interpretation originated from the research on the language of English. Yet, what does the research on image schema and SFH in other languages hold? To explain more fully the nature of the tasks that space is the base of human concept, this article investigates 11,000 Chinese characters (there are in fact 7,786 Chinese characters left concerning the study after the elimination of 3,500 homophones) in Xin Hua Dictionary (The tenth version). The article classifies each category of characters into two classes, i.e. prototypical and aprototypical classes. Furthermore, the relationship between the structures and their meanings is discussed. After having catalogued and discussed the main image schemas and their distribution, this article further explains that space is the base of human concept formation, and finds that Chinese character structures possess the features of image schema that embody the static state. This study amends the theory of'SFH'which holds that SFH is mostly presented in a dynamic state. In other words, there are differences in static image schema and dynamic image schema. Moreover, this article further highlights the cognitive system and cognitive rule of ancient Chinese people that have been reflected in the process of the formation of Chinese character structures. The article discusses the implications of these findings for cognitive linguistics and builds a foundation for further research.
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