Shuowen Jiezi Sentence Reading (Refined)

Author: Wang Yun of the Qing Dynasty
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: After the mid-Qing Dynasty, the study of Shuowen Jiezi flourished. Works such as Yan Kejun's Shuowen Jiaoyi, Duan Yucai's Shuowen Jiezi Zhuzhu, Gui Fu's Shuowen Jiezi Yizheng, and Wang Yun's Shuowen Shili were all renowned masterpieces of the time. Beyond these great scholars, works by figures like Niu Shuyu, Wang Xu, and Wang Yushu also contained profound insights into the interpretation of characters. Wang Yun's Shuowen Jiezi Joudu was compiled on the foundation of these works, with selective additions, deletions, and revisions. Originally, Wang Yun intended to "either add, delete, or revise" the works of Yan, Duan, and Gui, "without providing annotations," to create a single book that would be convenient for beginners to study. Later, under the persuasion of his friends, he changed his plans and instead extracted the essence of the aforementioned works, "observing broadly and selecting concisely," while interweaving his own ideas to form a unique perspective. In this way, it took him "twenty days to complete" the Shuowen Jiezi Joudu, comprising over twenty volumes. In ancient times, when people read books, they often marked and annotated them, a practice known as "joudu," which was considered the fundamental skill of reading. Wang Yun called his annotations of Shuowen "joudu," modestly implying that his book was merely an introductory guide to reading Shuowen. However, due to his extensive knowledge and precise selections, the academic value of Shuowen Jiezi Joudu has long surpassed the mere concept of "joudu."