Guangyun Sound System (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Shen Jianshi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: This book was compiled by Shen Jianshi, with assistance from Liu Wenxing, Ge Xinyi, and others. Shen was a renowned modern Chinese linguist and textual scholar, always eager to guide his disciples. In the 1930s, I was fortunate to receive his teachings and gained a glimpse of the path of scholarship. The Sound System of Guangyun arranges the characters collected in the original Guangyun according to the system of phonetic compounding. Among the phonetic radicals that appear throughout the book, the original phonetic symbols are reorganized into forty-one phonetic categories. Each phonetic category lists all the compounding characters in the Guangyun that share the same initial consonant with the main phonetic character, recording the original Guangyun’s fanqie (pronunciation notation) and yixun (explanatory notes) under each character. Additionally, the phonetic category, rhyme class, and opening/closing class of each character are annotated beside the original character. The book is well-organized and systematic, resembling the Shuowen Xiesheng Pu by Qing Dynasty scholars. However, the Shuowen Xiesheng Pu is structured around ancient rhyme classes, while The Sound System of Guangyun is organized around phonetic categories, offering a unique approach. According to this arrangement, we can study the classification and pronunciation of ancient initial consonants based on the relationships of phonetic compounding. We can also conduct comprehensive comparisons of compounding characters under the same initial consonant, researching the development of related characters, words, and the connections between their sounds and meanings. This is a revised edition of the Guangyun, highly useful.