Modern Chinese Dictionary, 5th Edition

Author: Lexicography Department of the Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: A renowned standard dictionary – Modern Chinese Dictionary. Compiled under the guidance of the State Council with the aim of establishing lexical norms and promoting Mandarin Chinese and the standardization of Chinese. ☆ A professional and authoritative editorial team – 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 the 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 Humanities and Social Sciences Award (2002). Since its publication, Modern Chinese Dictionary has made significant contributions to the promotion of Mandarin Chinese and the standardization of Chinese, playing a vital role in China's cultural, educational, and scientific research sectors. It has been widely acclaimed by readers and society, receiving prestigious awards such as the National Book Award, National Lexicography Award, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for Outstanding Research Achievements, and Wu Yuzhang Humanities and Social Sciences Award. It enjoys a high reputation both domestically and internationally.
With the development of the times, language also evolves. To adapt the dictionary to the needs of society, it must be continuously revised to keep pace with progress and better serve readers and society. Since its official publication in 1978, Modern Chinese Dictionary has undergone two revised editions in 1983 and 1996, as well as an expanded edition in 2002. The latest revision focuses on two key aspects: adjusting word selection by adding new words and meanings while removing outdated or rarely used ones; and labeling parts of speech for all entries based on the distinction between words and non-words. This revision has removed over 2,000 entries while adding over 6,000 new ones, bringing the total to approximately 65,000 entries. It reflects the current state of modern Chinese vocabulary and meets the needs of.
Labeling parts of speech in the dictionary has long been a pressing desire among readers and a new requirement for Chinese lexicography in the information age. Modern Chinese Dictionary previously only indicated parts of speech for some function words and common pronouns and measure words. The latest revision, however, provides comprehensive part-of-speech labeling for all entries, including classical function words that were previously labeled. Distinguishing words from non-words and classifying parts of speech in modern Chinese is a complex task, often difficult to apply uniformly. In addressing this issue, we have not only incorporated recent findings in Chinese grammar research but also considered years of experience in grammar teaching to ensure scientific and prudent handling, hoping to assist readers in their learning and research.
This dictionary was compiled in accordance with the State Council's Guidelines on Promoting Mandarin Chinese to establish lexical norms for modern Chinese. 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 significant 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. To ensure consistency with the upcoming new standards, we have maintained close communication with relevant authorities throughout the revision process. Until the new norms are announced, we have strived to fully implement the existing standards while appropriately addressing recognized issues and striving to align with the new standards. Some character forms and pronunciations have temporarily retained their original treatment until the new norms are released.
The latest revision has also comprehensively reviewed and improved existing definitions and example sentences to better reflect contemporary usage. Minor adjustments to the format have been made, with specific details provided in the preface.