Abstract: Through analysis of the reading behavior of seven cases of reading disorder caused by brain damage, this paper preliminarily explores the cerebral processing route of three informational dimensions in the cognit- ive process of reading, namely, the "shape" "sound", and "meaning" of a Chinese character/word, and speculates on their dynamic interrelations. Our conclusions are: 1) In the reading process, the cerebral processing route of the graphic, phonic, and semantic information begins with the visual perception of the shape of a character, which is then separately associated with its pronunciation and meaning; 2) the meaning of a ch- aracter is more strongly associated with its shape than with its pronun- ciation; and 3) the stronger association between shape and meaning may be attributed to some peculiarities of Chinese characters, as well as to various psychological factors involved.

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