First of all, the belief that Chinese characters were sacred symbols created by an ancient sage led to their being cherished and preserved from soiling or defilement. In the past, nearly every town in China had a special building where written paper was taken for burning, a practice that reflects the common people's awe of the written word.
首先是漢字「聖化」的結果，使每個人產生文字出自聖人創造的「聖蹟」意識，所以對文字不能汙蔑，更進一步需加以崇拜；就像昔日中國各地都建有專門焚燒字紙的「聖蹟亭」，反映了「敬惜字紙」的信仰。