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Book/Printed Material Shuo wen jie zi shi wu juan 說文解字十五卷

About this Item

Title

  • Shuo wen jie zi shi wu juan

Other Title

  • 說文解字十五卷

Translated Title

  • Explaining and Analyzing Characters, in 15 Juan

Summary

  • Shuo wen jie zi (Explaining and analyzing characters), often abridged as Shuo wen, was compiled by Xu Shen (circa 58-circa 147), a Confucian scholar and linguist of the Eastern Han dynasty. This is the first Chinese dictionary to use the principle of organization by sections with shared components, called bu shou (radicals), and to analyze the form, meaning, and pronunciation of each character, using the liu shu (six categories of Chinese characters) theory, to give the rationale behind them, as well as their interrelation. It is the forerunner of later dictionaries. The earliest extant editions dated from the Tang, in two Dunghuang manuscripts, but none was complete. The surviving editions derive from two sources. One was Shuo wen jie zi xi chuan, compiled by Xu Kai of the Southern Tang (937-76) during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, in 40 juan, known as the Younger Xu edition. The other was a work proofread and revised, by imperial order, by Xu Xuan, Xu Kai's older brother, in the third year (986) of the Yongxi reign (984-87) of the Song emperor Taizong. It is known as the Older Xu edition. In the late Ming period, Jiguge, the publisher in Changshu, Jiangsu, acquired a copy of the Older Xu edition and printed it, using a large printing type. For this reason, the work displays the style and features of a Song edition. Only the prefaces, table of contents, and three chapters are shown here.

Names

  • Xu, Shen, circa 58-circa 147 Compiler

Created / Published

  • Changshu, Jiangsu : Mao Jin, Jiguge, 1773.

Headings

  • -  China
  • -  100 to 120
  • -  Chinese language
  • -  Encyclopedias and dictionaries

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 5 volumes ; 21.0 x 15.8 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of China.
  • -  Content in Chinese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
  • -  Title revised per Asian Division.--cc28 2023-01-06

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666449

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Xu, Shen, Circa 58-Circa 147 Compiler. Shuo Wen Jie Zi Shi Wu Juan. Changshu, Jiangsu: Mao Jin, Jiguge, 1773. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666449/.

APA citation style:

Xu, S. (1773) Shuo Wen Jie Zi Shi Wu Juan. Changshu, Jiangsu: Mao Jin, Jiguge. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666449/.

MLA citation style:

Xu, Shen, Circa 58-Circa 147 Compiler. Shuo Wen Jie Zi Shi Wu Juan. Changshu, Jiangsu: Mao Jin, Jiguge, 1773. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666449/>.