Chinese script evolved like a living organism driven by natural selection: study

Modern simplified Chinese characters form a tightly connected network from just 514 basic components that evolved through a process similar to natural selection, according to researchers who say their findings could change how Chinese writing is taught.

“Chinese characters evolve like living organisms,” lecturer Xie Yonghui of Shanghai Normal University said on August 24.

The research into the evolution of Chinese writing over thousands of years, led by Huang Wei, of Beijing Language and Culture...