A Dictionary of Idioms -- Cihai Edition (New Edition)

Author: Wen Duanzheng, Editor-in-Chief; Wen Niyan, et al., Compilers
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: A proverb is a type of set phrase. It consists of two parts, often using puns based on homophones or semantic double meanings to convey meaning. This book collects common proverbs and can meet general reading needs.
I. Headings. This book includes over 2,000 entries, divided into main entries and "also as" entries. The main entries represent the basic form of the proverb, with explanations and example sentences provided; the "also as" entries are alternative forms of the main entries, sharing the same or nearly the same meaning as the main entries and thus not requiring further explanation. All entries use original characters, with homophones annotated in the explanations; example sentences retain their original formatting without alteration. Commas are used uniformly between the two parts of an entry, and commas or em dashes are used in example sentences as originally written without alteration.
II. Typography. The typography used in this book follows the "List of Simplified Characters" compiled by the National Language and Character Working Committee and the "List for Standardizing Variant Characters" jointly issued by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the Committee for the Reform of Writing.
III. Phonetic Transcription. Obscure characters in entries are transcribed using Pinyin; characters prone to mispronunciation have their correct pronunciations indicated along with warnings against incorrect pronunciations.
IV. Definitions. This book focuses on revealing the puns (homophonic or semantic) used in proverbs to explain their original and contextual meanings.
V. Example Sentences. Each proverb is accompanied by an example sentence to illustrate its meaning and usage. The sources of example sentences are generally noted, with "" (newspaper) or "" (journal) used for brevity where applicable.
VI. Arrangement. Entries are arranged in the order of the Chinese phonetic alphabet. Entries with different first characters are ordered by the sound of their first syllable. Entries with the same first character are ordered by stroke count, with fewer strokes appearing first. Entries with the same first and second characters are ordered by the sound of their third syllable, and so on.
VII. Index. An index of entries by stroke count for the first character is provided at the end of the book for reference.