diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 9edbc11d..e1a6bef4 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # Guess values for system-dependent variables and create Makefiles.
-# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71 for hawk 0.9.8.
+# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71 for hawk 0.9.9.
 #
 # Report bugs to <Chung, Hyung-Hwan (hyunghwan.chung@gmail.com)>.
 #
@@ -621,8 +621,8 @@ MAKEFLAGS=
 # Identity of this package.
 PACKAGE_NAME='hawk'
 PACKAGE_TARNAME='hawk'
-PACKAGE_VERSION='0.9.8'
-PACKAGE_STRING='hawk 0.9.8'
+PACKAGE_VERSION='0.9.9'
+PACKAGE_STRING='hawk 0.9.9'
 PACKAGE_BUGREPORT='Chung, Hyung-Hwan (hyunghwan.chung@gmail.com)'
 PACKAGE_URL='https://code.miflux.net/hyung-hwan/hawk'
 
@@ -710,6 +710,8 @@ UNWIND_LIBS
 FFI_LIBS
 LTDL_LIBS
 DL_LIBS
+ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_FALSE
+ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_TRUE
 LIBM
 MACOSX_FALSE
 MACOSX_TRUE
@@ -1435,7 +1437,7 @@ if test "$ac_init_help" = "long"; then
   # Omit some internal or obsolete options to make the list less imposing.
   # This message is too long to be a string in the A/UX 3.1 sh.
   cat <<_ACEOF
-\`configure' configures hawk 0.9.8 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
+\`configure' configures hawk 0.9.9 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
 
 Usage: $0 [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...
 
@@ -1506,7 +1508,7 @@ fi
 
 if test -n "$ac_init_help"; then
   case $ac_init_help in
-     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of hawk 0.9.8:";;
+     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of hawk 0.9.9:";;
    esac
   cat <<\_ACEOF
 
@@ -1647,7 +1649,7 @@ fi
 test -n "$ac_init_help" && exit $ac_status
 if $ac_init_version; then
   cat <<\_ACEOF
-hawk configure 0.9.8
+hawk configure 0.9.9
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71
 
 Copyright (C) 2021 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@@ -2376,7 +2378,7 @@ cat >config.log <<_ACEOF
 This file contains any messages produced by compilers while
 running configure, to aid debugging if configure makes a mistake.
 
-It was created by hawk $as_me 0.9.8, which was
+It was created by hawk $as_me 0.9.9, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71.  Invocation command line was
 
   $ $0$ac_configure_args_raw
@@ -3874,7 +3876,7 @@ fi
 
 # Define the identity of the package.
  PACKAGE='hawk'
- VERSION='0.9.8'
+ VERSION='0.9.9'
 
 
 printf "%s\n" "#define PACKAGE \"$PACKAGE\"" >>confdefs.h
@@ -19791,6 +19793,29 @@ printf "%s\n" "#define HAWK_PREFER_PREFIX_L 1" >>confdefs.h
 	fi
 fi
 
+case "${enable_wide_char}" in
+yes*)
+	 if true; then
+  ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_TRUE=
+  ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_FALSE='#'
+else
+  ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_TRUE='#'
+  ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_FALSE=
+fi
+
+	;;
+*)
+	 if false; then
+  ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_TRUE=
+  ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_FALSE='#'
+else
+  ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_TRUE='#'
+  ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_FALSE=
+fi
+
+	;;
+esac
+
 { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for char16_t literal" >&5
 printf %s "checking for char16_t literal... " >&6; }
 cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
@@ -26656,6 +26681,14 @@ if test -z "${MACOSX_TRUE}" && test -z "${MACOSX_FALSE}"; then
   as_fn_error $? "conditional \"MACOSX\" was never defined.
 Usually this means the macro was only invoked conditionally." "$LINENO" 5
 fi
+if test -z "${ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_TRUE}" && test -z "${ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_FALSE}"; then
+  as_fn_error $? "conditional \"ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR\" was never defined.
+Usually this means the macro was only invoked conditionally." "$LINENO" 5
+fi
+if test -z "${ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_TRUE}" && test -z "${ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_FALSE}"; then
+  as_fn_error $? "conditional \"ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR\" was never defined.
+Usually this means the macro was only invoked conditionally." "$LINENO" 5
+fi
 if test -z "${HAVE_LIBUCI_TRUE}" && test -z "${HAVE_LIBUCI_FALSE}"; then
   as_fn_error $? "conditional \"HAVE_LIBUCI\" was never defined.
 Usually this means the macro was only invoked conditionally." "$LINENO" 5
@@ -27091,7 +27124,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 # report actual input values of CONFIG_FILES etc. instead of their
 # values after options handling.
 ac_log="
-This file was extended by hawk $as_me 0.9.8, which was
+This file was extended by hawk $as_me 0.9.9, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71.  Invocation command line was
 
   CONFIG_FILES    = $CONFIG_FILES
@@ -27160,7 +27193,7 @@ ac_cs_config_escaped=`printf "%s\n" "$ac_cs_config" | sed "s/^ //; s/'/'\\\\\\\\
 cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 ac_cs_config='$ac_cs_config_escaped'
 ac_cs_version="\\
-hawk config.status 0.9.8
+hawk config.status 0.9.9
 configured by $0, generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71,
   with options \\"\$ac_cs_config\\"
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 83e09927..0be9d8ed 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 dnl AC_PREREQ([2.71])
 
-AC_INIT([hawk],[0.9.8],[Chung, Hyung-Hwan (hyunghwan.chung@gmail.com)],[],[https://code.miflux.net/hyung-hwan/hawk])
+AC_INIT([hawk],[0.9.9],[Chung, Hyung-Hwan (hyunghwan.chung@gmail.com)],[],[https://code.miflux.net/hyung-hwan/hawk])
 
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([lib/hawk-cfg.h])
 AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([ac])
@@ -174,6 +174,15 @@ else
 	fi
 fi
 
+case "${enable_wide_char}" in
+yes*)
+	AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR, true)
+	;;
+*)
+	AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR, false)
+	;;
+esac
+
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([for char16_t literal])
 AC_LINK_IFELSE(
 	[AC_LANG_PROGRAM([], [const void* x = u"ab cd ef gh";])],
diff --git a/lib/hawk-str.h b/lib/hawk-str.h
index d0787634..2ffa08e0 100644
--- a/lib/hawk-str.h
+++ b/lib/hawk-str.h
@@ -614,8 +614,8 @@ HAWK_EXPORT int hawk_fnmat_bchars_i (
 #	define hawk_find_oochars_in_oochars hawk_find_bchars_in_bchars
 #	define hawk_rfind_oochars_in_oochars hawk_rfind_bchars_in_bchars
 
-#	define hawk_compact_oochars hawk_compact_uchars
-#	define hawk_rotate_oochars hawk_rotate_uchars
+#	define hawk_compact_oochars hawk_compact_bchars
+#	define hawk_rotate_oochars hawk_rotate_bchars
 #	define hawk_tokenize_oochars hawk_tokenize_bchars
 #	define hawk_trim_oochars hawk_trim_bchars
 #	define hawk_split_oocstr hawk_split_bcstr
diff --git a/lib/json.c b/lib/json.c
index 977aea73..3ff2547e 100644
--- a/lib/json.c
+++ b/lib/json.c
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ static int handle_string_value_char (hawk_json_t* json, hawk_ooci_t c)
 				hawk_bch_t bcsbuf[HAWK_MBLEN_MAX];
 				hawk_oow_t n;
 
-				n = json->_cmgr->wctomb(json->state_stack->u.sv.acc, bcsbuf, HAWK_COUNTOF(bcsbuf));
+				n = json->_gem.cmgr->uctobc(json->state_stack->u.sv.acc, bcsbuf, HAWK_COUNTOF(bcsbuf));
 				if (n == 0 || n > HAWK_COUNTOF(bcsbuf))
 				{
 					/* illegal character or buffer to small */
diff --git a/lib/parse.c b/lib/parse.c
index 7129f84e..ac69917b 100644
--- a/lib/parse.c
+++ b/lib/parse.c
@@ -6942,6 +6942,26 @@ retry:
 				if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(hawk_ooecs_fmt(tok->name, HAWK_T("%zu"), tok->loc.line) == (hawk_oow_t)-1)) return -1;
 				SET_TOKEN_TYPE (hawk, tok, TOK_INT);
 			}
+			else if (hawk_comp_oochars_bcstr(HAWK_OOECS_PTR(tok->name), HAWK_OOECS_LEN(tok->name), "@UCH_ON", 0) == 0)
+			{
+				/* special parser-level word @SCRIPTLINE. subsitute an actual value for it */
+			#if defined(HAWK_OOCH_IS_UCH)
+				if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(hawk_ooecs_fmt(tok->name, HAWK_T("%zu"), 1) == (hawk_oow_t)-1)) return -1;
+			#else
+				if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(hawk_ooecs_fmt(tok->name, HAWK_T("%zu"), 0) == (hawk_oow_t)-1)) return -1;
+			#endif
+				SET_TOKEN_TYPE (hawk, tok, TOK_INT);
+			}
+			else if (hawk_comp_oochars_bcstr(HAWK_OOECS_PTR(tok->name), HAWK_OOECS_LEN(tok->name), "@BCH_ON", 0) == 0)
+			{
+				/* special parser-level word @SCRIPTLINE. subsitute an actual value for it */
+			#if defined(HAWK_OOCH_IS_UCH)
+				if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(hawk_ooecs_fmt(tok->name, HAWK_T("%zu"), 0) == (hawk_oow_t)-1)) return -1;
+			#else
+				if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(hawk_ooecs_fmt(tok->name, HAWK_T("%zu"), 1) == (hawk_oow_t)-1)) return -1;
+			#endif
+				SET_TOKEN_TYPE (hawk, tok, TOK_INT);
+			}
 			else
 			{
 				type = classify_ident(hawk, HAWK_OOECS_OOCS(tok->name));
diff --git a/lib/std.c b/lib/std.c
index bc6749ee..fd9e01df 100644
--- a/lib/std.c
+++ b/lib/std.c
@@ -1759,7 +1759,7 @@ static hawk_ooi_t sf_out (hawk_t* hawk, hawk_sio_cmd_t cmd, hawk_sio_arg_t* arg,
 					if (hawk_convbtouchars(hawk, data, &mbslen, HAWK_NULL, &wcslen, 0) <= -1) return -1;
 					if (wcslen > HAWK_TYPE_MAX(hawk_ooi_t)) wcslen = HAWK_TYPE_MAX(hawk_ooi_t);
 
-					orglen = hawk_becs_getlen(xtn->s.out.u.ucs.buf);
+					orglen = hawk_uecs_getlen(xtn->s.out.u.ucs.buf);
 					if (hawk_uecs_setlen(xtn->s.out.u.ucs.buf, orglen + wcslen) == (hawk_oow_t)-1) return -1;
 
 					mbslen = size;
@@ -3070,7 +3070,7 @@ hawk_rtx_t* hawk_rtx_openstdwithbcstr (
 		#if defined(HAWK_OOCH_IS_UCH)
 			xocf[i] = hawk_dupbtoucstr(hawk, ocf[i], &wcslen, 0);
 		#else
-			xocf[i] = hawk_dupucstr(hawk, ocf[i], HAWK_NULL);
+			xocf[i] = hawk_dupbcstr(hawk, ocf[i], HAWK_NULL);
 		#endif
 			if (!xocf[i]) goto done;
 		}
@@ -3149,7 +3149,7 @@ hawk_rtx_t* hawk_rtx_openstdwithucstr (
 		for (i = 0; ocf[i]; i++)
 		{
 		#if defined(HAWK_OOCH_IS_BCH)
-			xocf[i] = hawk_dupbtoucstr(hawk, ocf[i], &mbslen, 0);
+			xocf[i] = hawk_duputobcstr(hawk, ocf[i], &mbslen);
 		#else
 			xocf[i] = hawk_dupucstr(hawk, ocf[i], HAWK_NULL);
 		#endif
diff --git a/mod/mod-ffi.c b/mod/mod-ffi.c
index 9469b3ff..a2b016d8 100644
--- a/mod/mod-ffi.c
+++ b/mod/mod-ffi.c
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ static HAWK_INLINE int add_ffi_arg (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, ffi_list_t* ffi_list, ffi_n
 
 		case FMTC_STR:
 		{
-			hawk_uch_t* ptr;
+			hawk_ooch_t* ptr;
 			hawk_oow_t len;
 
 			ptr = hawk_rtx_valtooocstrdup(rtx, arg, &len);
diff --git a/t/Makefile.am b/t/Makefile.am
index 54657119..490c2b92 100644
--- a/t/Makefile.am
+++ b/t/Makefile.am
@@ -13,7 +13,11 @@ LDFLAGS_COMMON=-L$(abs_builddir)/../lib  -L$(libdir)
 ## for more information.
 LIBADD_COMMON = ../lib/libhawk.la $(LIBM)
 
-check_SCRIPTS = h-001.hawk h-002.hawk h-003.hawk h-004.hawk h-009.hawk
+check_SCRIPTS =
+if ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR
+check_SCRIPTS += h-001.hawk h-002.hawk
+endif
+check_SCRIPTS += h-003.hawk h-004.hawk h-009.hawk
 
 check_ERRORS = e-001.err
 
diff --git a/t/Makefile.in b/t/Makefile.in
index 7cc749c2..6d17178a 100644
--- a/t/Makefile.in
+++ b/t/Makefile.in
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ PRE_UNINSTALL = :
 POST_UNINSTALL = :
 build_triplet = @build@
 host_triplet = @host@
+@ENABLE_WIDE_CHAR_TRUE@am__append_1 = h-001.hawk h-002.hawk
 check_PROGRAMS = t-001$(EXEEXT) t-002$(EXEEXT) t-003$(EXEEXT) \
 	t-004$(EXEEXT) t-005$(EXEEXT) t-006$(EXEEXT) t-007$(EXEEXT)
 subdir = t
@@ -590,7 +591,7 @@ CPPFLAGS_COMMON = \
 CFLAGS_COMMON = 
 LDFLAGS_COMMON = -L$(abs_builddir)/../lib  -L$(libdir)
 LIBADD_COMMON = ../lib/libhawk.la $(LIBM)
-check_SCRIPTS = h-001.hawk h-002.hawk h-003.hawk h-004.hawk h-009.hawk
+check_SCRIPTS = $(am__append_1) h-003.hawk h-004.hawk h-009.hawk
 check_ERRORS = e-001.err
 EXTRA_DIST = $(check_SCRIPTS) $(check_ERRORS) tap.inc err.sh \
 	journal-toc.hawk journal-toc.in journal-toc.out journal-toc-html.out \
diff --git a/t/h-001.hawk b/t/h-001.hawk
index fbc88a97..d9fded71 100644
--- a/t/h-001.hawk
+++ b/t/h-001.hawk
@@ -307,6 +307,7 @@ function main()
 		tap_ensure ((@b"hawk" %% '⚾') === @b"hawk\xe2\x9a\xbe", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 		tap_ensure (("hawk" %% '⚾') === "hawk⚾", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 
+		tap_ensure ((@b"hawk" %% str::fromcharcode(65)) === @b"hawkA", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 		tap_ensure ((@b"hawk" %% str::fromcharcode(0x26be)) === @b"hawk\xe2\x9a\xbe", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 		tap_ensure (("hawk" %% str::fromcharcode(0x26be)) === "hawk⚾", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 	}
diff --git a/t/t-007.c b/t/t-007.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..43b5ba93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t-007.c
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+
+#include <hawk-json.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include "tap.h"
+
+static int on_json_element (hawk_json_t* json, hawk_json_inst_t inst, const hawk_oocs_t* str)
+{
+printf ("%d\n", inst);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int main ()
+{
+	hawk_json_t* json;
+	hawk_json_prim_t prim;
+
+	no_plan();
+	prim.instcb = on_json_element;
+
+	json = hawk_json_openstd(0, &prim, HAWK_NULL);
+	OK (json != HAWK_NULL, "instantiation must be successful");
+	
+	hawk_json_close(json);	
+	return exit_status();
+}