Grasping the Core Meaning of Ancient Texts with the Aid of Artificial Intelligence: An Integrative Study of Exegetics and Paleographic Knowledge Bases

Jheng-Yu Yin

doi:10.22161/jhed.8.6.2

Abstract

Ancient Chinese texts carry the core ideas of Chinese civilization, yet semantic drift across eras and disputes over the decipherment of excavated manuscripts often lead later readers to misinterpretation. Grounded in traditional exegesis (xungu), this paper integrates AI-based paleographic knowledge bases and explores, along three dimensions—the historical evolution of word meanings, the re-interpretation of classical passages, and the textual criticism of excavated manuscripts—how artificial intelligence can be fused with traditional philological research. The study shows that artificial intelligence can assist in constructing knowledge graphs, tracking conceptual evolution, and performing cross-textual intelligent retrieval, thereby preserving the rigor of traditional exegesis while enhancing the efficiency and breadth of ancient-text studies, and providing technical support for the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese culture.

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Article Info

Received: 03 Oct 2026; Received in revised form: 31 Oct 2026; Accepted: 04 Nov 2026, Published on: 11 Nov 2026