Abstract: In addition to a local cultural horizon,the study of Chinese character needs a cross-cultural perspective.The “cross-cultural Chinese character research” has two meanings:one is treating cross-culture as a method and perspective of research,that is,studying Chinese characters from a cross-cultural perspective;the other is treating “cross-cultural Chinese character” as an object of the study,that is,studying Chinese characters in different cultural contexts.The “cross-cultural Chinese character research” is rich in content,including the literature of the cross-cultural Chinese character and the phenomena in them,the cross-cultural spread,development,comparison and teaching of Chinese character,the impact of foreign culture on Chinese character system,the cross-cultural Chinese character academic history and so on.Therefore,the “cross-cultural Chinese character research” has promising future and should be a special field as well as an important branch of Chinese character studies.

Key words: cross-culture, spread of Chinese character, overseas Chinese character, foreign Chinese character, foreign culture influence