Dictionary of Names of Modern Chinese Figures (Complete Edition, Revised and Expanded)

Author: Chen Yutang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The preliminary edition of The Comprehensive Dictionary of Names and Titles of Modern Chinese Figures was published in May 1993, comprising three million words. It includes the names and titles of individuals, such as their given names, nicknames, courtesy names, aliases, studio names, pen names, pseudonyms, as well as their titles, posthumous honors, epithets, nicknames, and even allusions to their names in historical texts. The dictionary is considered a comprehensive collection of such names. The book was inscribed by the renowned calligrapher Sha Menghai. It is reported that Sha passed away shortly after completing the inscription, making it his final work. The entries span from 1840 to the present day. The preliminary edition alone includes over 10,000 individuals, covering politics, military, culture and education, science and technology, medicine and health, publishing and media, literature and arts, as well as business, industry, and religious fields, as well as Qing Dynasty emperors and related historical figures. These historical records trace origins and explore contemporary developments. For example, Wang Tao, who submitted strategies to the Taiping Army in 1862 and was later called the "Taiping Scholar," is documented in late Qing-era textual files. Another entry, "Xu Xinliu," includes information about his wife, Yang Yuxuan, sourced from a 1938 September 27 article titled "Xinliu Gong's Wife Passes Away" in the News Daily. New materials discovered as late as 2004 have been incorporated. The study of names and titles is an interdisciplinary field, as many scholars and literati throughout history have favored using them. Names often carry specific and rich meanings, and each one often reflects a part of the owner's heart or experiences. Modern great writers like the monk Hongyi, Lu Xun, and Wang Rensu have over a hundred pen names each, and their meanings are truly inexhaustible if studied in detail. Among them, Hongyi's title was compiled by his student Liu Zhiping and personally reviewed by Hongyi himself. As early as the 1950s, Chen Yutang harbored the wish to write a dictionary of names and titles. Chen Yutang was born in Nantong, Jiangsu in 1924. He dropped out of school after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan. He often claimed to be a student of the prestigious private academies "Cizhi" and "Zixiu," mentored by the lifelong graduate of "Zhu Wen Shi" (meaning various literature and history books). After the liberation, he worked at an old bookstore in Shanghai, engaged in the collection of antique books. In his work, he often had to sift through piles of books to clarify the pen names of authors, yet after extensive research, he could not always find the full details. Although there were previous works like Chen Deyun's Dictionary of Ancient and Modern Aliases and Chen Naigan's Index of Studio Names and Aliases, they were far too brief to meet the needs of scholars for reference. He thought, if there were a more comprehensive dictionary of pen names and titles, research would be much easier and more efficient. This was Chen Yutang's initial and simplest idea, which also marked the beginning of his dedication. From then on, he became meticulous in his observations, always carrying a small notebook in his pocket. Whenever he encountered relevant name and title materials in books, periodicals, and newspapers, he would copy them down. At night, he would organize and verify the information, neatly transcribing it onto individual index cards. Over time, these cards accumulated into dozens of thick stacks. The entries in this book span from 1840 to the present day. Those whose achievements are documented after 1949 are excluded, while those slightly before 1840, if related to modern history, are occasionally included. The total number of entries is 14,165. The collected figures cover politics, military, culture and education, science and technology, medicine and health, publishing and media, literature and arts, as well as calligraphy, painting, seal carving, and appreciation of books and collections, business, industry, and religious fields, as well as Qing Dynasty emperors and related historical figures. At the age of sixty, Chen Yutang independently wrote this book, comprising three million words. The breadth of figures covered and the richness of historical materials make it unparalleled in similar works. Particularly noteworthy is the name and title index at the back of the book, which allows for quick reference—a feature unmatched by other publications. Originally aimed at the humanities and social sciences community, the book gained great popularity, only to be later regarded by collectors, antique dealers, and other institutions as an indispensable reference tool. It has been hailed as "a unique dictionary capturing a century of social life" and "filling a gap in China's academic reference books." The book has won numerous awards, including the "Third Prize of Shanghai Philosophy and Social Sciences Outstanding Achievement Award," the "Second Prize of National Ancient Books Outstanding Book Award," the "Nomination Prize of Zhejiang Shuren Publishing Award," the "First Prize of Zhejiang Book Association Outstanding Book Award," and the national-level publishing award, the "Eighth China Book Award."