<p>Word frequency and contextual predictability play important roles in word recognition, yet research in alphabetic languages remains inconclusive on whether they exert independent (additive) or combined (interactive) effects. We consider whether script-specific characteristics may modulate their processing, specifically, in Chinese reading, where early activation of predictability information may aid effective word segmentation. While the time course of predictability effects has been demonstrated in alphabetic languages with survival analysis, it has yet to be established for Chinese reading. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) identify whether frequency and predictability independently or interactively influence fixation durations during Chinese reading and (2) establish the time course of these effects using survival analysis. The study adopted a 2 (contextual predictability: predictable vs. unpredictable) × 2 (word frequency: high-frequency vs. low-frequency) within-subject design. Participants read for comprehension, and their eye movements were recorded and then analyzed with Linear Mixed-Effects Models and Survival analysis techniques to identify the earliest disernable influence of each variable. Results showed clear frequency and predictability effects during first-pass reading, but no interaction, providing strong evidence that these variables exert early, independent influences on fixation durations. Survival analysis placed the divergence point for predictability effects at 83ms and for frequency at 163ms, indicating that predictability exerts a particularly early influence on processing in Chinese reading. This represents a potentially important cross-linguistic difference in processing dynamics, offering valuable insights to inform the development of models of Chinese reading.</p>