Shuowen Jiezi / Traditional vertical layout edition

Author: (Chinese) Xu Shen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1991-01-01
Features: The Shuowen Jiezi is a dictionary in China, written by Xu Shen during the Han Dynasty, with a history of over two thousand years. Due to the original book being a woodblock print from the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, it was not very convenient to use. Additionally, the book contains a large number of obscure characters, which have long been unable to be organized using modern printing technology, hindering the dissemination and research of traditional classics. It is reported that the Shuowen Jiezi book and database published by Social Sciences Academic Press can solve issues such as the input, editing, and full-text search of over 70,000 characters, including a large number of obscure ones. The Shuowen Jiezi summarizes the achievements of literature from the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, preserving the form, sound, and meaning of Chinese characters, making it an indispensable bridge for studying oracle bone script, bronze inscriptions, ancient phonology, and textual research. Especially, The Shuowen generally retains the ancient meanings of character interpretations, which is more helpful for understanding the word meanings in ancient texts. It preserves materials for studying ancient social history, culture, and other aspects, serving as an important step in organizing our country's excellent cultural heritage. The Shuowen includes explanations of characters with various meanings, reflecting ancient politics, economy, culture, customs, and more. For example, in The Shuowen, "" (che) is described as "the general name for a vehicle with wheels, invented by Xi Zhong during the Xia Dynasty." According to The Shuowen's explanation, it can be confirmed that the "" (che) as a means of transportation existed during the Xia Dynasty. Another example is the character "" (xing), which, along with a series of surnames derived from the "" (nǚ) radical such as "" (Jiang), "" (Ji), and "" (Yao), reveals traces of ancient matriarchal society. As such, The Shuowen reflects some historical conditions and various knowledge of ancient times, helping us understand the past and the present.