Abstract: With the rapid development of the digitization of ancient books,a large number of previously discontinued Chinese characters have been activated.The diversity of font styles,complex character relationships,and inconsistent encoding systems severely hinder the editing,preservation,presentation,conversion,retrieval,and in-depth utilization of ancient texts.The digitization,standardization,and normalization of texts are the starting points for the digitization of ancient books and the foundation for digital infrastructure construction and digital humanities research.Since modern times,three systematic changes in new and old font styles,formal and informal character forms,and character encoding have determined the fact that the construction of character sets and text databases can only be based on various national standards that have been issued.Chinese characters have been in a continuous process of unification and standardization,and the unification of script and writing is the mainstream trend of history.The creation of a unified character set and a standard text database is a new specification after “the unification of script and writing” since the Qin Dynasty.It is also a renewed resetting of the Chinese character system from engraving to handwriting,and then to the digital form.“The recreation of books and documents” facilitates the unified depiction,in-depth indexing,interactive integration,and multifunctional development of ancient book data,promotes the structural and knowledge systematization,platform intelligence,and drives the transformation and upgrading of the management and utilization of ancient books.

Key words: the digitization of ancient books, character sets, text databases, the unification of script and writing