Great Dictionary of Chinese (Pocket Edition)

Author: Wan Zhiwen, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-09-01
Features: The Great Dictionary of Chinese Characters (《》) is a collection of the essence of ancient and modern Chinese linguistic and textual research in China, marking a milestone in the history of Chinese lexicography. It stands out among the world's dictionaries with its key features of being "comprehensive and all-encompassing" and "incorporating both ancient and modern, emphasizing origins and development." It has been widely acclaimed and praised by readers and the academic community. To serve a broader readership, we have introduced the pocket edition after publishing the main edition (eight volumes), the abridged edition, and the concise edition. The pocket edition refers to the main edition, which is a grand eight-volume work. The main edition has a total of 20 million words, while the pocket edition has over 3.5 million words, only one-fifth of the main edition. The main edition is in 16K format, eight volumes, while the pocket edition is in 32K format, one volume. The pocket edition focuses on popularization and practicality. On one hand, it retains all the character entries and their pronunciations and meanings from the main edition, fully meeting the needs of readers in understanding and resolving doubts when reading ancient and modern works. On the other hand, it removes overly difficult content. Building on the achievements of the main edition and the concise edition, it further standardizes character forms, adjusts character sequences, corrects errors, and improves the search function. Moreover, all the explanations and examples use simplified characters. All these efforts aim to make the pocket edition affordable, usable, and easily searchable for a broad readership. We hope that the pocket edition will enter the homes of ordinary people, becoming a good teacher and helpful friend for their studies.