Erya School Annotations -- Reprint of Key Academic Works of the 20th Century

Author: Zhou Zumo
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Zhou Zumo, a Chinese linguist. Born in Beijing, his courtesy name was Yansun. In 1932, he entered the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University. After graduating in 1936, he joined the Institute of History and Language of the Central Academy of Sciences as an assistant in the linguistics section. From 1938, he taught at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fu Ren University. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he became a professor at Peking University and served as the executive director of the Chinese Linguistics Society, vice president of the Beijing Linguistics Society, president of the Beijing Qin Literature Society, and honorary president of the Chinese Phonology Society, among other positions.
Zhou Zumo was a man of extensive knowledge and devoted himself to the study of Chinese language and characters from a young age. Phonology and etymology were his most fruitful academic fields. His collected works Wenxueji include more than 40 essays, which gather his original insights on the phonetic categories of ancient Chinese, the nature of Qieyun, and its phonological foundation. Using modern linguistic theories, he critically reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of numerous ancient Chinese linguistic works with a rigorous and cautious attitude, avoiding unfounded speculation. Another of his collected essays is Yuyan Wenhistorical Studies, comprising over 50 essays on language, literature, and history. Additionally, The Evolution of Rhyme Categories from the Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties (co-authored with Luo Changpei) discusses the evolution of rhyme categories from the Zhou to the Chen and Sui dynasties (800 years), earning significant attention from linguists both in China and abroad.
Published in 1984, A Collection of Rhyme Books from the Tang and Five Dynasties is a comprehensive work that compiles and annotates Tang and Five Dynasties rhyme books, summarizing decades of the author's collection, organization, and research. It is a pioneering specialized work in the field of Dunhuang and Turpan ancient manuscripts and provides important materials for the study of Chinese phonology, vocabulary, and etymology.
Zhou Zumo excelled in the collation and correction of ancient texts, authoring works such as Guanyun, Fangyan, Erya, Shi, and Luoyang Qalanjì. To popularize linguistic knowledge, he also wrote numerous articles on Chinese standardization, Mandarin pronunciation, and dictionary compilation. For example, his book A Talk on Chinese Vocabulary was highly popular among readers.
Zhou Zumo spent many years teaching in higher education, dedicating himself to nurturing the next generation of linguistic scholars. This book is the best edition of Erya to date and an indispensable reference for studying Erya as well as using it to research ancient etymology and vocabulary.