Classics and Lexicons (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Ruan Yuan et al. (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: April 1, 1982
Features: When we read ancient texts from the pre-Qin and Han dynasties or unearthed written materials today, we need to accurately interpret the meanings of characters. This often requires two methods: one is to consult elementary books like Shuowen Jiezi and Erya, and the other is to examine the old annotations from the Han and Tang dynasties in classical texts. However, the interpretation of a single character's meaning is often scattered across various books, making it extremely inconvenient to find. During the Qing Dynasty, the Qianlong scholars believed: "One must first master textual interpretation to properly treat classics." Under this guiding principle, they not only devoted great effort to annotating elementary books like Shuowen Jiezi and Erya, but also focused on compiling the scattered old annotations from the Han and Tang dynasties into books for easier reference. However, this effort was not completed. In the 60th year of the Qianlong reign (1795), Ruan Yuan served as the Chief Education Official of Zhejiang. Due to his long-standing interest in textual interpretation, upon assuming office, he organized a team of scholars to compile and categorize texts by rhyme, collecting old annotations from elementary books and Han-Tang classical texts. Later, he hired Jian Yong, an expert in textual interpretation, to finalize the project. In the third year of the Jiaqing reign (1798), the Jingji Zuanju (Compendium of Classical Text Annotations) was completed in 106 volumes. This book is exceptionally comprehensive, and as former scholars remarked, "It displays the richness of characters within a single rhyme, and when checking a single character, all its annotations are preserved." It is truly an "ultimate authority on classical texts and a treasury of textual interpretation," an understatement of its vastness and utility.