Ancient Chinese Dictionary

Author: None
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2000-10-06
Features: This Chinese language dictionary is designed for readers with intermediate to advanced cultural backgrounds to study ancient Chinese and read classical texts. The dictionary was collectively compiled by the teachers of the Department of Ancient Chinese Language at Renmin University of China and several colleagues from the Chinese Language Tools Book Editing Office of Commercial Press, starting in 1985. To master primary materials, we spent nearly two years creating index cards. Representative classical texts written in orthodox written Chinese, such as the Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Records of the States, Strategies of the Warring States, Xunzi, Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi, The Art of War, The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Lu State, On Balanced Learning, Records of the Grand Historian, The Book of Han, The Later Han Book, The Three Kingdoms, Essentials of Tang and Song Literature, and others, were all processed into index cards. The scope and principles of word selection were primarily determined based on the nature of the dictionary and its target readers, with practical needs as the guiding force. The dictionary includes over 10,000 single characters, encompassing commonly used characters as well as difficult and commonly encountered variant characters. It also includes over 24,000 compound words. Under the principle of prioritizing lexical entries, a small number of encyclopedic entries were also included. For the establishment of definitions, we strived to break free from preconceived notions and rely on actual linguistic materials for objective. In terms of definitions, we aimed for accuracy and conciseness, generally avoiding coexistence of multiple interpretations or ambiguous expressions. The dictionary includes approximately 24,000 compound words. Compound words are primarily lexical entries, with a small number of encyclopedic entries also included. The general principle is to select entries that are commonly found in classical texts and require explanation, based on the actual needs of general readers reading ancient texts. The dictionary is arranged in phonetic order. For head characters with multiple pronunciations, if a head character has only one pronunciation, it is listed under that pronunciation in the main text. For other pronunciations that differ in initial consonant or vowel from the primary pronunciation, the head character is also repeated under the respective pronunciations. Head characters with two or more pronunciations are marked with serial numbers (1, 2, 3), with the most commonly used pronunciation generally placed first.