Dictionary of Common Characters with Explanations

Author: Li Enjiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: The content of this dictionary explains and analyzes the form, sound, and meaning of common Chinese characters, providing examples and guidance for word formation. Its purpose is to help primary and secondary school students and readers with similar educational backgrounds, both Chinese and foreign, master the basic knowledge of Chinese characters, thereby improving their ability to "read, write, and use" common characters. It is also intended as a teaching reference for primary and secondary school Chinese language teachers. This dictionary includes 3,500 common Chinese characters, based on the "Modern Chinese Common Characters List" issued by the State Language Commission and the State Education Commission in 1998. The entries in this dictionary are arranged by radical, using the 201 radicals from the "Standard Table of Unified Radicals of Chinese Characters." The forms of characters used in this dictionary adhere to standardized characters and do not use obsolete forms. The content includes phonetic annotation, form explanation, meaning definition, word formation, and differentiation. The phonetic annotations are accurate, the form explanations indicate the type of character and are accompanied by symbolic markers, with some characters listing ancient scripts to illustrate the origin and evolution of the characters. The definitions are concise and precise, the word formation is representative, and it deepens readers' understanding of character meanings. The differentiation focuses on practicality, clarifying characters that are easily misread, miswritten, or misunderstood.