Eastern Student Reference Book -- Ancient Chinese Dictionary (Dual-Color Edition)

Author: Editorial Committee of "Dictionary of Ancient Chinese"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-01
Features:
- Contains over 7,000 phonetic characters;
- Includes over 8,000 compound words.
Starting with the explanation of character origins, it not only clarifies the structure of characters but also reveals their evolutionary process. The definitions follow the order of original meaning first, derived meaning second, and borrowing third, clearly outlining the development of character meanings. Each definition is preceded by no part-of-speech label, enabling readers to more accurately understand and master the meanings and usage of each definition. The textual evidence is mostly the earliest known evidence, primarily consisting of classics from the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, as well as famous works from the Tang and Song dynasties, ensuring the accuracy and authority of the entire book. Over 800 exquisite illustrations are included, which not only reflect the context of ancient Chinese but also possess appreciable aesthetic value and serve to interpret the characters and words, achieving a perfect unity of content and form. This is a medium-sized reference book for ancient Chinese compiled specifically for junior and senior high school students and teachers. Its scope of words is based on the new curriculum standards for junior and senior high school Chinese, supplemented by some encyclopedic terms and commonly encountered words in extracurricular classical Chinese texts that require definitions. The dictionary includes 4,500 commonly used ancient Chinese characters, plus traditional characters and variant characters, totaling over 7,000. It also includes over 8,000 commonly used terms. Its main features are as follows:
1. Starting with the explanation of character origins, it not only clarifies the structure of characters but also reveals their evolutionary process.
2. For character definitions, it adheres to the historical development perspective, emphasizing the time-specificity of character meanings. The definitions are arranged in the order of original meaning first, derived meaning second, and borrowing third. This approach not only reflects the systematic nature of the definitions but also provides readers with complete information, enabling a more comprehensive and thorough understanding of the character.
3. The dictionary also includes classical Chinese vocabulary required by the new curriculum standards for students to master, as well as terms related to traditional culture, such as names of things, historical anecdotes, and institutional regulations, all accurately defined.
4. Each character and term definition is preceded by a part-of-speech label. This avoids potential confusion in labeling part of speech for polysemic terms and makes the definitions more clear, helping readers better understand the meanings and usage of the characters and words.
5. The textual evidence cited in the dictionary primarily consists of classics from the pre-Qin and Han dynasties and famous works from the Tang and Song dynasties, with special attention to examples from classical Chinese texts included in junior and senior high school Chinese textbooks.
6. Over 800 exquisite illustrations are included, which not only reflect the context of ancient Chinese but also possess appreciable aesthetic value and serve to interpret the characters and words.