Hakka Dictionary

Author: Luo Meizhen, Lin Lifang, Rao Changrong / Country:
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-10-01
Features: This dictionary includes over 1,300 common words and collects more than 300 proverbs and idioms widely used in the Hakka region. At the end of the book, there are cultural overviews and phonetic systems of representative points, as well as a phonetic index of single Chinese characters and a categorical index of meanings. The dictionary primarily uses early Hakka settlement center Fujian Changting dialect and modern Hakka center Guangdong Meixian dialect as the basis for word selection. It strives to include words that are consistent across representative points; words that do not correspond to either Changting or Meixian dialects in any representative point are generally not included. Words that correspond to two points are included on a case-by-case basis. The dictionary mainly includes words that differ from Mandarin. It uses both Chinese characters and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to record Hakka words. The meanings of entries are explained or described in Mandarin, with Hakka examples provided when necessary, followed by translations or interpretations in parentheses. Sometimes, examples from ancient or modern literature are cited as supporting evidence. For representative points other than Changting, the corresponding phonetic entries are recorded based on the definitions and examples of Changting dialect entries.