Chronicle of Lexicographical Compilation

Author: Xu Qingkai et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-12-01
Features: We have been engaged in lexicographical compilation for many years. During the era of unprecedented development of lexicography in China since the reform and opening-up, our experiences and observations have been particularly rich. The work we have done has both many correct aspects and numerous shortcomings and mistakes. The successful experiences of others have benefited us greatly, while their errors have also taught us lessons. In the past decade or so, we have persistently fought against the endless stream of inferior lexicographical works, realizing that is also necessary teaching material. Regarding all these aspects, we have written some articles, which, upon reflection, still seem insufficient. We considered it necessary to screen, organize, compile, and comment on the facts from our experiences and observations, making them public. This is both an opportunity for relearning and beneficial to the research and popularization of lexicography.
As we write this, we recall a passage by Ladislav Zgusta in Introduction to Lexicography: "The practical experience of compiling dictionaries is sometimes acquired through painful and costly continuous exploration. However, we can observe in dictionary compilation practice that such practical experience is not paid as much attention as in other sciences to be collected and analyzed. This seems hard to believe, as compiling dictionaries is usually quite expensive and time-consuming. I often encounter this phenomenon: problems that have been perfectly solved in the editorial work of one dictionary are again discussed and experimented with by other editors." (Commercial Press, 1983 edition, p. 19). This passage is very insightful and has inspired us greatly. Based on our experiences and observations, we have written one hundred and sixty articles, focusing on the more significant facts of lexicographical compilation in China since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially since the reform and opening-up, and compiled them into this book. Each article primarily records events with brief comments. The facts narrated are both positive and negative, all striving to be representative while avoiding generalization, excessive specialization, or verbosity. The comments are concise and to the point, avoiding empty rhetoric. Regarding errors in dictionaries, unless necessary, we generally do not name specific authors. Due to our own conditions, some dictionaries are covered more extensively in the book (especially Ci Hai, as we were all involved in its compilation, with some having over thirty years of experience), while others are covered less or not at all, entirely depending on the extent of our understanding, with no other reasons.
We hope this book can achieve the following: First, to help readers aspiring to lexicographical compilation learn from the practical experiences introduced to understand what should and should not be done in the process; second, to promote integrity and resist in the lexicographical community, contributing to purifying the field of lexicography; third, to preserve some valuable materials for the history of Chinese lexicography. Whether our wishes can be realized or to what extent remains to be seen. We sincerely welcome readers to provide feedback and guidance!
At the end, we sincerely thank the esteemed scholar Mr. Wang Yuanhua for writing the title of this book. We deeply appreciate the strong support of Commercial Press in the publication of this book. We also thank the predecessors and advanced figures in the lexicographical community for their achievements and writings, which have broadened our knowledge and inspired us, enriching the content of this book. We extend our sincere respect to them!