A Dictionary of Chinese Idioms (Series of Chinese Idiomatic Dictionary Books)

Author: Chen Guanglei, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Idioms are an important part of Chinese fixed expressions, and their meaning is not simply the sum of individual word meanings. They often carry rhetorical colors. The authors of this book are professional linguists and language workers. The book features a rich collection of words, including examples from ancient and modern usage, many of which are newly discovered by the authors.
I. This dictionary includes approximately 6,000 common Chinese idioms from ancient and modern times, including some common variations.
II. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order based on the Pinyin phonetic system. Characters with the same syllable are ordered according to the GB2312-80 character set code, with characters outside the standard listed first.
III. Entries are divided into main entries and sub-entries. The main entry represents the basic form of an idiom, while the sub-entry represents its common variations. Main entries include the headword, Pinyin pronunciation, definition, and examples.
IV. The Pinyin pronunciation of headwords is phoneme-by-phoneme, without connecting words, and without marking continuous tone changes. Syllables read as neutral tones are not marked with tones. The erhhua () sound is represented by "r."
V. For idioms with clear origins, the source is indicated with "Source."
VI. For idioms with multiple meanings, "Meaning ① ②" is used to list them separately, with definitions provided for each meaning.
VII. Generally, one example is given for each meaning or variation. If examples exist both in ancient and modern contexts, one example from each period is provided. Examples are drawn from formally published works, newspapers, magazines, classic literature, and other sources.
VIII. When citing works, the author's name is indicated for all works except popular ancient novels. For works by multiple authors, "" is used to indicate "et al." Works with unknown or undetermined authors are marked as "Anonymous." For authors before the Qing Dynasty, the dynasty name is prefixed to the name.
IX. When the context of an example is incomplete and requires additional words to be supplemented, the supplemented words are marked in parentheses.
X. Variant characters in ancient and modern examples are retained in their original form, while traditional characters are converted to simplified characters.
XI. An index of headwords by stroke order is compiled at the end of the book.