Relationship Between Chinese Character Conformational Features and the Legibility of Handwritten Chinese Characters for CFL Beginners.

This paper investigates the relationship between the structural features of Chinese characters and the handwriting quality of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) beginners. The study involved 22 CFL beginners transcribing characters using digital ink technology. Correlations were analyzed between structural features (including stroke count, stroke types, and specific stroke forms like hooks and folds) and three key handwriting quality indicators: Composite Stability, symmetry, and slant. The results revealed significant correlations between character complexity and handwriting quality. Specifically, characters containing right-falling strokes exhibited lower Composite Stability, whereas a higher number of hooks correlated with improved Composite Stability. Characters with more diverse stroke types were associated with better symmetry, while folds negatively impacted both symmetry and slant. Furthermore, characters with a greater number of left-falling strokes, right-falling strokes, and folds were linked to poorer slant performance. These findings underscore the importance for Chinese language teachers to consider character structural features in instructional design and suggest that targeted practice with structurally challenging characters, focusing on specific stroke configurations, may more effectively enhance learners' Chinese character writing skills.