480531170

集 韻 Jiyun (Collected Rhymes; J.: Shūin)
A very voluminous dictionary completed in 1039AD; the chief editor wasDing
Du. Arranged according to pronunciation, it lists 53,525 characters. For the present
book, quoted excerpts from Jiyun appearing in scholarly works have been used.
字 彙 Zihui (Character Collection; J.: Jii)
This was the first character dictionary to be arranged according to the system of 214
determinatives (as opposed to the 540 in Shuowen jiezi) which has been used until
modern times in China and continuously down to the present in Japan. Dealing
with 33,179 characters and compiled by 膺 Mei Dingzuo, Zihui was published
in 1615 AD. While clearly a very significant work that was used in the compilation
of later dictionaries, Zihui is noted here primarily for its significance in devising
the 214 determinative system; it has not been referred to directly in the process of
compiling this book.
正 字 通 Zhengzitong (Mastery of Orthodox Characters; J.:
Seijitsū)
Originally compiled by Zhang Zilie, the manuscript of Zhengzitong was
purchased by Liao Wenying, who supplemented and published it in about
1671AD. Zhengzitong lists around 33,000 characters arranged according to the 214
determinatives.
Note: in compiling the present book, Zhengzitong was used occasionally to supplement
Kangxi zidian (see below), using a 1996 facsimile edition (Guoji Wenhua Publishing
Co.). This is because for technical reasons the electronic version of Kangxi
zidian referred to immediately below was not always available to consult.
康 煕 字 典 Kangxi zidian (The Kangxi Dictionary; J.: Kōki jiten)
This very prestigious dictionary was compiled at the command of Emperor Kangxi
() (1654–1722) by a group of scholars which included Zhang Yushu and
Chen Tingjing. Completed and published in 1716, the aim of this work was
to provide an authoritative character dictionary to remedy the shortcomings of Zihui
and the verbosity of Zhengzitong. The Kangxi zidian, which lists 47,035 characters,
served as a standard for matters relating to Chinese characters from the time of compilation
down into the 20th century. This is not to say that the Kangxi zidian is totally
error free. The existence of errors—probably inevitable in any case in a work of such
scale—appears to be due in part to the need to complete compilation within a timeframe
that was set by Emperor Kangxi.
18 Introduction