A Small Dictionary of Chinese Idioms. 2003 (Large Print Edition)

Author: Wei Jiangong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-08-19
Features: This dictionary includes 4,600 idioms. In addition to general idioms, it also selectively includes some phrases similar to idioms or those in the process of developing into idioms, as well as some common colloquialisms. The dictionary is arranged in the order of Pinyin letters. Pinyin is used for phonetic annotation. The definitions focus on the practical meaning of idioms, with affirmative or negative connotations often conveyed through biased explanations. Difficult characters or words in idioms are annotated, and if the word has alternative spellings, they are noted. If an idiom has origins or allusions, they are cited appropriately and annotated or explained based on the context. The explanation generally starts with annotations of difficult characters or words, followed by citations of the idiom's origin, and then a connected explanation. When explaining the meaning of an idiom, it also indicates metaphorical, descriptive meanings, and rhetorical colors such as praise or criticism. Some idioms are accompanied by example sentences. If an idiom has two meanings, two example sentences are provided, labeled as 1 and 2 as needed. Characters in idioms that are easily misread or misspelled are marked with [Note]. If several idioms have the same meaning and similar text, the most commonly used one is listed as the main entry, with others marked as "also as." "Also as" is also listed as a separate entry, such as "pī shā jiǎn jīn" (main entry) also as "pái shā jiǎn jīn"; "fāng xīng wèi ài" (main entry) also as "fāng xīng wèi yǐ." If several idioms have related meanings or similarities with differences, they are cross-referenced with "see" or "also see." In example sentences, the idiom is uniformly replaced with the symbol "~." The dictionary includes a Pinyin alphabetical index and a stroke index arranged by Chinese character strokes.