Chinese Idioms Dictionary: Large Font (Revised Edition 2003)

Author: Commercial Press Lexicographical Research Center
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-08-19
Features: This dictionary includes 4,600 idioms. In addition to general idioms, it also selectively includes some similar idioms or phrases that are evolving into idioms, as well as some common colloquialisms. The dictionary is arranged in the order of Chinese Pinyin. The Pinyin is used for phonetic annotation. The definitions focus on the practical meaning of the idioms, with affirmative or negative connotations expressed through biased explanations. Difficult characters or words in the idioms are annotated, and if the character or word has alternative forms, they are noted. If an idiom has origins or allusions, they are cited accordingly, with annotations and explanations provided as needed. The explanations generally first note the difficult characters or words, then cite the origin of the idiom, and finally provide a connected explanation. When explaining the meaning of an idiom, the metaphorical, descriptive meanings, and rhetorical colors (such as praise or criticism) are also indicated. Some idioms include example sentences. If an idiom has two meanings, two example sentences are provided, labeled as 1 and 2 as needed. Characters in the 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 the others marked as "also known as." The "also known as" entries are also listed, such as "picking gold from sand" (main entry) also known as "sifting sand for gold"; "flourishing and not yet exhausted" (main entry) also known as "flourishing and not yet ended." If several idioms have related meanings or similarities with differences, they are cross-referenced with "see" or "also see." In the example sentences, the idiom is replaced with the symbol "~." The dictionary includes a Pinyin-based alphabetical index and a stroke-based index of entries.