Ming and Qing Wu Language Dictionary

Author: (Japanese) Iichiro Miyata and Shi Dangjie
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: In 1992, Soochow University and Hokuriku University of Japan established a sister university relationship and compiled the Jingming Wu Language Dictionary as a collaborative research project. The dictionary primarily focuses on works from the Wu-speaking regions during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It gathers words from Wu folk songs and ballads, Ming-Qing legends, tanqin (a traditional narrative form), Wu-language novels, local chronicles, character dictionaries and rhyme books, notes, dialect Bibles, and dictionaries and textbooks compiled by foreigners. Ultimately, the dictionary includes approximately 17,000 entries, spanning 2.28 million words, providing a comprehensive reflection of the vocabulary of Wu dialects from the Ming Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty. It organizes the development and changes of the vocabulary, holding significant importance for reading, appreciating, and researching Wu-language literary and artistic works. Professor Iichiro Miyata, the Japanese editor-in-chief, told reporters that Japanese language has been greatly influenced by the Wu dialects during the Ming and Qing periods. Many Japanese young people enjoy reading works from China's Ming and Qing dynasties. With this dictionary, they can better understand the content of these works.