Modern Chinese Dictionary (Fifth Edition)

Author: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: A highly acclaimed standard dictionary – The 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 of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. A dedicated editorial team was established for The 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 The 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, The Modern Chinese Dictionary has made significant contributions to the promotion of Mandarin Chinese and the standardization of the language, playing a vital role in China’s cultural, educational, and scientific endeavors. 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 Humanities and Social Sciences Award. It enjoys a high reputation both domestically and internationally.
As times evolve, language also changes. To ensure the dictionary remains relevant to societal needs, it must be continuously revised to keep pace with progress and better serve readers and society. The Modern Chinese Dictionary, officially published in 1978, 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latest revision focuses on two key aspects: adjusting word selection by adding new terms and meanings while removing outdated or rarely used ones, and labeling word classes based on the distinction between words and non-words. This revision has removed over 2,000 entries while adding more than 6,000, bringing the total number of entries to approximately 65,000. It 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 among readers and a new requirement for Chinese lexicography in the information age. The Modern Chinese Dictionary previously only labeled word classes for some function words and common pronouns, quantifiers, etc. This revision, however, provides comprehensive word class labels for all entries, including classical function words that were previously labeled. Distinguishing words from non-words and classifying words in modern Chinese is a complex task, and in many cases, a uniform approach is difficult to achieve. 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 stable results, hoping to assist readers in their study 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 further strengthened the implementation of 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 align 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 ensuring maximum alignment with the new standards. Some character forms and pronunciations have temporarily retained their original treatment, to be revised once the new standards are released.
The revision has also comprehensively reviewed existing definitions and example sentences, enhancing their accuracy and relevance to contemporary developments. Adjustments have been made to the format, with specific details provided in the preface.