Modern Chinese Dictionary (5th Edition) (5th Edition)

Author: Lexicography Department, Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: A highly acclaimed normative dictionary – Modern Chinese Dictionary. Compiled in accordance with the (instruction) of the State Council with the aim of establishing lexical norms and promoting Mandarin Chinese and the standardization of the Chinese language. ☆ A professional and authoritative editorial body – the Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. A dedicated editorial team was established for the compilation of Modern Chinese Dictionary, led successively by renowned linguists Lu Shuxiang and Ding Shengshu. ☆ A publishing house with a century-long history – Commercial Press. China’s earliest modern publishing institution, with a long tradition in lexicography, was designated to publish Modern Chinese Dictionary. ☆ First Prize of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for Outstanding Research Achievements (1993). ☆ National Book Award (1994). ☆ First Prize of the National Lexicography Award (1997). ☆ First Prize of the Wu Yuzhang Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences (2002).
Since its publication, Modern Chinese Dictionary has made significant contributions to the promotion of Mandarin Chinese and the standardization of the Chinese language, playing a vital role in China’s cultural, educational, and scientific research sectors. It has been widely welcomed by readers and esteemed by society, receiving awards such as the National Book Award, National Lexicography Award, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for Outstanding Research Achievements, and Wu Yuzhang Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences, enjoying a high reputation both domestically and internationally.
With the development of the times, language also evolves. To adapt the dictionary to the needs of societal development, it must be continuously revised to keep pace with the times and better serve readers and society. Modern Chinese Dictionary was officially published in 1978, with two revised editions issued in 1983 and 1996, and an expanded edition in 2002. The latest revision focuses on two aspects: adjusting word selection by adding new words and meanings while removing outdated and rarely used terms; and labeling word classes based on the distinction between words and non-words. This revision has deleted over 2,000 entries while adding more than 6,000, bringing the total number of entries to approximately 65,000, which largely reflects the current state of modern Chinese vocabulary and meets the needs of readers for reference.
Labeling word classes in the dictionary has long been a pressing desire of readers and a new requirement for Chinese lexicography in the information age. Modern Chinese Dictionary previously only indicated word classes for some function words and common pronouns and measure words. The latest revision, however, provides comprehensive word class labels for all entries, as well as for classical function words that were previously labeled. Distinguishing words from non-words and classifying words in modern Chinese is a complex task, often difficult to apply uniformly. In addressing this issue, we have not only incorporated recent achievements in Chinese grammar research but also considered years of experience in grammar teaching, striving to make the classification as scientific and prudent as possible to assist readers in learning and research.
This dictionary was compiled in accordance with the State Council’s Instruction on Promoting Mandarin Chinese to establish norms for modern Chinese vocabulary. Therefore, fully and accurately implementing national language and character norms and technical term standards is a fundamental principle of this book. The latest revision has made substantial efforts to further align with language and character norm standards. The State Language Commission’s key project, the Standardized Chinese Characters List, is currently under development, and existing norms related to character forms and pronunciations are also being revised. We have maintained close communication with relevant authorities throughout the revision process to ensure consistency with the upcoming new standards. Until the new norms are announced, we have strived to fully implement the existing norms while appropriately addressing recognized issues and aligning as closely as possible with the new standards. Some character forms and pronunciations will temporarily retain their original treatment until the new norms are released.
The latest revision has also comprehensively reviewed existing definitions and example sentences to make them more refined and relevant to contemporary developments. Adjustments have been made to the format, with specific details explained in the preface. ☆ A highly acclaimed normative dictionary – Modern Chinese Dictionary. Compiled in accordance with the State Council’s (instruction) with the aim of establishing lexical norms and promoting Mandarin Chinese and the standardization of the Chinese language. ☆ A professional and authoritative editorial body – the Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which established a dedicated editorial team for the compilation of Modern Chinese Dictionary, led successively by renowned linguists Lu Shuxiang and Ding Shengshu. ☆ A publishing house with a century-long history – Commercial Press, China’s earliest modern publishing institution, with a long tradition in lexicography, designated to publish Modern Chinese Dictionary. ☆ First Prize of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for Outstanding Research Achievements (1993). ☆ National Book Award (1994). ☆ First Prize of the National Lexicography Award (1997). ☆ First Prize of the Wu Yuzhang Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences (2002).