Zhongwen Da Cidian
Encyclopedia
The Zhongwen Da Cidian is an unabridged Chinese dictionary
, edited by Zhang Qiyun (張其昀; Chang Ch'i-yun; 1901–1985) and others. The first edition had 40 volumes, which were published from 1962 through 1968.
This encyclopedic dictionary includes 49,905 Chinese characters arranged under the traditional 214 Kangxi radicals. Each character entry shows the evolution of graphic forms (such as small seal script), gives pronunciations, and chronological meanings with sources. Words, phrases, and four-character idioms are given under the head character entry, arranged according to the number of strokes
in their components. "There are many phrases under some characters," note Teng and Biggerstaff (1971:133), for example, 3,417 under yi (一 "one") and 1,398 under huang (黄 "yellow").
Although the Zhongwen Da Cidian closely resembles the first edition 1960 Dai Kan-Wa jiten
("Comprehensive Chinese–Japanese Dictionary"), it is not listed under works consulted. The Zhongwen Da Cidian was the best available reference work of Chinese until 1993, when the Hanyu Da Cidian
("Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese") was completed.
Chinese dictionary
Chinese dictionaries date back over two millennia to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which is a significantly longer lexicographical history than any other language. There are hundreds of dictionaries for Chinese, and this article will introduce some of the most important...
, edited by Zhang Qiyun (張其昀; Chang Ch'i-yun; 1901–1985) and others. The first edition had 40 volumes, which were published from 1962 through 1968.
This encyclopedic dictionary includes 49,905 Chinese characters arranged under the traditional 214 Kangxi radicals. Each character entry shows the evolution of graphic forms (such as small seal script), gives pronunciations, and chronological meanings with sources. Words, phrases, and four-character idioms are given under the head character entry, arranged according to the number of strokes
Stroke order
Stroke order refers to the order in which the strokes of a Chinese character are written. A stroke is a movement of a writing instrument on a writing surface. Chinese characters are used in various forms in Chinese, Japanese, and in Korean...
in their components. "There are many phrases under some characters," note Teng and Biggerstaff (1971:133), for example, 3,417 under yi (一 "one") and 1,398 under huang (黄 "yellow").
Although the Zhongwen Da Cidian closely resembles the first edition 1960 Dai Kan-Wa jiten
Dai Kan-Wa jiten
The is a Japanese dictionary of kanji compiled by Morohashi Tetsuji. Remarkable for its comprehensiveness and size, Morohashi's dictionary contains over 50,000 character entries and 530,000 compound words...
("Comprehensive Chinese–Japanese Dictionary"), it is not listed under works consulted. The Zhongwen Da Cidian was the best available reference work of Chinese until 1993, when the Hanyu Da Cidian
Hanyu Da Cidian
The Hanyu Da Cidian is the most inclusive available Chinese dictionary. Lexicographically comparable to the OED, it has diachronic coverage of the Chinese language, and traces usage over three millennia from Chinese classic texts to modern slang...
("Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese") was completed.
External links
- 文大辭典, Zhongwen Da Cidian online introduction