Ancient and Modern Chinese Dictionary (Large Print Edition)

Author: Compiled by the Lexicographical Research Center of Commercial Press
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-11-01
Features: A medium-sized dictionary that integrates ancient and modern Chinese, demonstrating the connections, differences, and changes in the meanings of Chinese words throughout history. Readers can learn which words or meanings are universally used in both ancient and modern times, which are only found in ancient times, and which have emerged in modern times. A strong team of compilers. Over 30 experts and scholars from renowned universities and publishing institutions collaborated for eight years. The dictionary contains over 45,000 entries, including over 15,000 single-character entries and nearly 200,000 illustrative examples, offering rich and diverse content, broad coverage, and substantial information. The forms and pronunciations of characters are primarily based on modern norms while also considering historical usage. The book includes a bibliography of cited sources and related appendices for convenient reference, making it highly practical. Ancient Chinese is the origin of modern Chinese, and modern Chinese is the inheritance and development of ancient Chinese. Ancient and modern Chinese are interconnected. Learning from the past can reveal the present, and observing the present can trace the past. To integrate ancient and modern Chinese in one dictionary not only provides convenience for readers to clarify doubts but also broadens horizons and perspectives, deepens understanding of word meanings, and enhances cultural literacy. For this reason, we compiled this medium-sized lexical dictionary titled Ancient and Modern Chinese Dictionary. The guiding principle for compiling this dictionary is to modern, , . The determination of character forms and pronunciations, as well as the selection of variant forms, is primarily based on modern norms and conventions; the selection of character and word entries, as well as the establishment of meanings, considers both ancient and modern aspects, with a focus on the present. At the same time, special attention is paid to bridging the gap between ancient and modern Chinese, revealing their connections, differences, and changes. This dictionary serves as both a modern Chinese dictionary and an ancient Chinese dictionary, suitable for readers with intermediate or advanced cultural levels, particularly useful for writers and language teachers; it also holds reference value for linguistic research. Below, we provide a detailed explanation of the features of this dictionary and related issues:
1. Emphasizes the disclosure of similarities, differences, and changes in ancient and modern word meanings. The similarities and differences between ancient and modern word meanings are primarily expressed through the division and combination of meanings, the explanation of word meanings, and the arrangement of illustrative examples. For meanings that differ between ancient and modern times, separate meanings are established, each accompanied by ancient or modern examples; for meanings that are the same, separate meanings are not established, and both ancient and modern examples are included in the same meaning; for meanings that are easily confused, the relationship between ancient and modern times is pointed out in the explanation. In this way, the differences and connections between ancient and modern word meanings are clearly revealed, and from their comparison, the inheritance and development of ancient and modern word meanings can be observed.
2. Distinguishes between word meanings and morpheme meanings. Word meanings are demonstrated through example sentences, while morpheme meanings are demonstrated through example words. In general, if only ancient example sentences are listed before an example word, it indicates that this meaning was an independent word in ancient times but only a morpheme in modern times; if both ancient and modern example sentences are listed before an example word, it indicates that this meaning can be used as both a word and a morpheme in both ancient and modern times; if only modern example sentences are listed before an example word, it indicates that this meaning is both a word and a morpheme in modern times; if only an example word is listed without example sentences, it indicates that this meaning is only a morpheme. In this way, the distinction between words and morphemes is clear, and the development and change of ancient and modern Chinese from monosyllabic words to polysyllabic words, and from words to morphemes, can be vividly presented. Additionally, example words are part of the illustrative examples and help in understanding the explanations, while the explanations provide the rationale for the formation of example words, aiding in their comprehension.
3. Contains a large number of characters and rich meanings. This dictionary includes more characters than general medium-sized dictionaries. Compared to general modern Chinese dictionaries, it adds some commonly used ancient characters, including common variant characters in ancient texts; compared to general ancient Chinese dictionaries, it adds some modern commonly used characters, including characters used in scientific and technical terms, dialects, and so on. The explanations of single-character entries, especially those of some commonly used characters, are yet avoid being overly verbose. In the arrangement of meanings, in addition to including ancient and modern meanings, some commonly used meanings from the modern period are also selected; in addition to considering word meanings and morpheme meanings, the systematic development of word meanings is also taken into account. Due to the multiple aspects being considered, the meanings included naturally become more numerous. Chinese is primarily based on characters as units, and once the issues with characters are resolved, the problems with compound words can often be generalized. Therefore, more attention is given to single-character entries.
4. Focuses on entries that are universally used in both ancient and modern times while also considering breadth and depth. Based on the scale and nature of this dictionary, the selection of polycaracter entries prioritizes those that originated in ancient times (or the modern period) and are still used in modern written language. These words have been filtered through history and are relatively stable in Chinese vocabulary, making them of great value for reference. In addition, a portion of common entries with purely modern or purely ancient meanings, as well as encyclopedic words closely related to daily life, are appropriately included to achieve a balance between focus and breadth, enhancing the practicality of the dictionary. Additionally, a considerable number of compound words and idioms are included as illustrative examples in single-character entries, serving as supplements to polycaracter entries.
5. Rich and diverse illustrative examples. In this dictionary, illustrative examples hold an important position. In addition to some proper nouns, technical terms, and titles, illustrative examples are generally provided after the explanations of most words. The role of illustrative examples is to verify and supplement the explanations while also providing the living context in which word meanings exist, demonstrating their richness and flexibility. A significant portion of the knowledge capacity, cultural connotation, and practical value of the dictionary is reflected through illustrative examples. Illustrative examples in this dictionary also serve a special purpose: they reveal the relationship between ancient and modern word meanings and provide historical background for their usage. The cited sources in this dictionary are quite extensive and cover nearly three thousand years, from the pre-Qin period to the present day, with references to over three thousand books. In the common meanings of single-character entries, three levels of illustrative examples are generally provided: sentences, phrases, and compound words. These three levels of illustrative examples actually represent the three types of linguistic units in which meanings exist. This arrangement serves both to provide rich linguistic material for understanding explanations and to reflect the status and role of the meaning in different linguistic structures of different eras. For example, for the character “” (meaning "shoe"), after listing ancient example sentences for the meaning "shoe," the phrase “” is also provided; for the meaning "to carry out," after listing ancient example sentences, the compound words “” and “” are included. In this way, readers can not only understand the explanations through example sentences but also through phrases and compound words; at the same time, it can be seen that “” was an independent word in ancient times but is now only retained in idioms or used as a morpheme in modern times. The modern example sentences in this dictionary are all marked with their sources. When selecting and excerpting example sentences, attention has been paid to linguistic norms. However, due to differences in eras or variations in writers' styles, there may be occasional instances where the wording deviates from modern norms and conventions. We have not made any adjustments for this. On one hand, this is because the sources are marked, making it inconvenient to alter the quoted text; on the other hand, it is also to accurately reflect the historical context of linguistic and textual usage.