CHI 322

Introduction to Classical Chinese

Annotated Bibliography of Selected Reference Works for Classical Chinese

Note: For a more comprehensive listing of dictionaries and specialized reference works, refer to Endymion Wilkinson, Chinese History: A Manual, Chapter 2: Dictionaries (Cambridge: Harvard University Asia Center, 1998; rev. 2000) [DS 735 W695].

Online dictionaries of Literary Chinese

• Thesaurus Linguae Sericae (TLS): An Historical and Comparative Encyclopaedia of Chinese Conceptual Schemes 古漢學文典. Ed. Christoph Harbsmeier. Web http://tls.uni-hd.de/.
  A comprehensive lexical database that includes an analytical dictionary interlinked to a corpus of translated Chinese texts. Search functions allow TLS to function as an online dictionary. Note that this resource is still a work in progress, with certain gaps and errors that may not be apparent to non-specialists. Nonetheless, TLS is one of the only Chinese-English lexical references (online or print) devoted specifically to literary Chinese. With continued improvements it is destined to become the standard lexical reference for European and American students of literary Chinese.
  
  

Convenient single-volume dictionaries of Literary Chinese

• Paul W. Kroll. A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese. Boston: Brill, 2015 [PL 1455 K76].
  The only good option for an English-Chinese dictionary of literary Chinese. Contains 8,000 characters but no compound words. Highly recommended as a first-stop dictionary for students of literary Chinese.
  
  
• Gu Hanyu changyongzi zidian 古漢語常用字字典. Beijing: Shangwu, 1979; rev. 1993; 33^rd print, 1998 [PL 1420 K815].
  Convenient and extremely portable, this is a good beginner's dictionary for Literary Chinese.  Contains roughly 6,500 of the most frequently used characters arranged by pronunciation.  Citations are provided and sometimes translated into modern Chinese.
  
  
• Wang Li gu Hanyu zidian 王力古漢語字典. Ed. Wang Li 王力. Beijing, Zhonghua, 2000 [PL 1485 W36].
  A step up in comprehensiveness and size from the above, this is probably the best small, single-volume dictionary of Literary Chinese. It follows the more traditional organization by classifier and aside from definitions and citations, also provides the qieyun pronunciation, rhyme category and, when applicable, a list of other characters in the same word family.  Compounds are not regularly provided, though certain bound phrases (lianmianzi 聯綿字) are included.
  
  
• Gudai hanyu cidian 古代漢語辭典. Beijing: Shangwu, 1998 [PL 1071 K78455].
  Also a good single-volume dictionary, this one is organized by pinyin pronunciation.  Though it does not contain the historical linguistic features of the above, it has the advantage of providing entries for the most common compounds under each head character.

Comprehensive dictionaries

• Hanyu da cidian 漢語大詞典. 13 vols. Shanghai: Hanyu da cidian, 1986-1993; 5^th prnt., 1995 [PL 1420 H355].
  The "OED" (Oxford English Dictionary) of Chinese dictionaries.  This 12-volume set is the most comprehensive Chinese dictionary ever produced, containing entries for 370,000 words organized by the classifier of the head character.  It attempts to cover the entire history of the Chinese written language, from oracle bones to modern usage.  Being a relatively new work, the editors were able to make use of recently excavated texts on oracle bones, bronze inscriptions and bamboo strips.  Generally does not contain proper names.
  
  
• Hanyu da zidian 漢語大字典. 8 vols. Wuhan: Hubei cishu; Chengdu: Sichuan cishu, 1986-1990; 3 vols., rev. ed., 1995 [PL 1420 H354].
  Contains even more characters than the above, but no compounds.  In addition to definitions and citations, rhyme category and qieyun pronunciation are provided, along with examples of the graph in earlier scripts, such as those found on oracle bones and bronze inscriptions.  This is the best dictionary for finding obscure, obsolete, or variant graphs.
  
  
• Zhongwen da cidian 中文大辭典. 28 vols.+ 2 vols. index. Taibei: Zhongguo wenhua daxue chubanbu, 1962-68; rev. ed., 10 vols., 1973; 19^th prnt., 1985 [PL 1420 C57].
  Based on a translation of the first edition of the Morohashi dictionary (see below).  While it is generally inferior to the Hanyu da cidian, it does contain more entries for proper names.
  
  
• Ciyuan 辭源. 4 vols. Beijing: Shangwu, 1915; rev. ed. 1979-84; single-volume ed., 1988 [PL 1420 T9].
  A somewhat “old-fashioned” dictionary of Literary Chinese, with rather terse definitions.  It is still useful for identifying people and place names from Classical literature.

Chinese-Japanese dictionaries

• Morohashi Tetsuji 諸橋轍次. Dai Kan-Wa jiten 大漢和辭典. 13 vols. Tōkyō: Taishūkan shoten, 195-60; rpt. 1966-1968 [PL 681 C5 M6].
  This used to be the standard among dictionaries of Literary Chinese, but has generally been superceded by the Hanyu da cidian.  Nonetheless, it is still useful for its encyclopedic content on place names, book titles and official names.
  
  
• Shin Kan-Wa jiten 新漢和辭典. Tōkyō: Taishūkan, 1988; rpt. 1990.
  This is an abridged, one-volume version of the Morohashi dictionary.  It is generally more convenient to use than the full version of Morohashi, though it does not provide citations.  Characters are organized by classifier and pinyin romanization is provided.
  
  
• Jitsū 字通. Ed. Shirakawa Shizuka 白川静. Tōkyō: Heibonsha, 1996; rpt. 1997.
  Comprehensive dictionary that provides both definitions and citations in Japanese for compounds and single characters arranged by Japanese pronunciation.  Special attention was paid to the historical development of the graph on inscriptional materials and to changing pronunciation.

Chinese-English dictionaries

• Thesaurus Linguae Sericae (TLS), see above.
  
  
• Karlgren, Bernhard. Grammata Serica Recensa. Originally published in Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities 29 (1957), 1-332; rpt., Stockholm: Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, 1974 [PL 1201 K324].
  A monumental work of scholarship on the pronunciation of Old Chinese, this work was not designed as a dictionary.  Nonetheless, each entry provides several English words that might serve as translations together with references, but no citations.  Characters are grouped into word families, which are arranged by reconstructed pronunciation, which makes it a useful tool for determining potential loan graphs.
  
  
• Pulleyblank, Edwin G. Lexicon of Reconstructed Pronunciation in Early Middle Chinese, Late Middle Chinese, and Early Mandarin. Vancouver : University of British Columbia Press, 1991 [PL 1209 P85].
  Also designed not as a dictionary but as a reconstruction of pronunciation at various stages in Chinese history. English equivalents are provided for each character, but the full scope of the character's meaning is hardly explored.
  
  
• Schuessler, Axel. A Dictionary of Early Zhou Chinese. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1987 [PL 1077 S38].
  Focuses on usage in the earliest stage of Chinese literature, the Western Zhou (1045-771 b.c.e.).  Organized by pronunciation in modern Mandarin Chinese, definitions are provided together with citations from bronze inscriptions, the Book of History, the Book of Poetry, and other early works of literature.  This work is not really appropriate for writings that date to the Classical and later periods of Chinese literature.
  
  
• Mathews, R. H.  Mathew's Chinese-English Dictionary. Shanghai, 1931; Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1943; 18^th prnt., 1996 [PL 1455 M34 PCL Reference].
  One of the landmarks in the history of bilingual Chinese dictionaries, it is now outdated and not recommended for use as a dictionary of Literary Chinese.  As a general-use dictionary of Chinese, it has been superceded by more recent bilingual dictionaries, but can still be useful for Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) usage, as well as for translating the names of flowers, birds, etc.
  
  
• Lin Yutang.  Lin Yutang's Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1972 [PL 1455 L67].
  As the name states, this is not a dictionary of Literary Chinese, though it can be useful for finding poetic English translations.  Idiosyncratic romanization and organization system.

Chinese-French dictionaries

• Couvreur, F. S., Dictionnaire classique de la langue chinoise. 1890; 3^rd rev., Ho Kien Fou: Imprimerie. de la Mission catholique, 1911; rpt., Taibei: Book World, 1963 [-Q- PL 1459 F8 C6].
  Another landmark in the development of bilingual dictionaries of Chinese, this work focuses on the language of the Confucian classics and later works of the Tang (618-907 c.e.) and Song (960-1279 c.e.).  Uses the French romanization system, which is different from both Pinyin and Wade-Giles.  Generally inferior to more recent Chinese dictionaries of Literary Chinese, it can be useful for those who are more comfortable in French than in Chinese or Japanese.  Even in this function it has been largely superceded by the following work.
  
  
•  Dictionnaire Ricci de caractères chinois. 2 vols. + index. Taibei: Lishi xueshe; Paris: Institut Ricci de Paris, Desclée de Brouwer, 1999 [PL 1459 F8 I57].
  A new, comprehensive dictionary of Literary Chinese that includes 16,000 characters, but not compounds.  For 2,000 characters, an analysis of the change in meaning from the late Shang (ca. 1600-1045 b.c.e.) through the Han (202 b.c.e.-220 c.e.) is provided, together with examples of inscriptional forms.  Arranged by pronunciation in Wade transcription.

References for grammar

• Pulleyblank, Edwin G.  Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar. Vancouver, University of British Columbia Press, 1995; rpt. 2000 [PL 1101 P85].
  The best comprehensive grammar of Classical Chinese, organized topically, but with a character index that that makes it easy to look up “function words” (xuci 虛詞).  All grammatical points are justified with numerous examples which are drawn from Classical Chinese texts and translated into English.  Highly recommended.
  
  
• Barnes, Archie, Don Starr, and Graham Ormerod. Du's Handbook of Classical Chinese Grammar. Great Britain: Alcuin Academics: 2009. Similar to Pulleyblank but with less linguistic and phonological jargon. Includes both a topically organized discussion of grammar as well as short, independent sections on the most important function words. Includes many example sentences as well as five extended Classical Chinese passages with an accompanying dictionary.
  
  
• Shadick, Harold.  A First Course in Literary Chinese.  Volume 3. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1968 [495.18642 SH12F].
  This is the third volume of a Literary Chinese textbook, but it is no longer in print.  Includes grammatical commentaries on the passages as well as a comprehensive grammar of Literary Chinese.  Use of these materials will require some effort to learn Shadick's terminology and system of analysis, which many students have found cumbersome.
  
  
• Cohen, Alvin P. Grammar Notes for Introductory Classical Chinese. Occasional Series (Chinese Materials and Research Aids Service Center) no. 31. San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center, 1975.
  Handy introduction to the basic grammar of Classical Chinese.  It is organized topically and does not provide a character index, so it is not as useful as the above for looking up a function word that you come across in a text.
  
  
• Harbsmeier, Christoph. Aspects of Classical Chinese Syntax. Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies Monograph Series no. 45. London: Curzon Press, 1981 [PL 2245 H372].
  Although it is not comprehensive, this work presents a detailed analysis of the following topics: negation, quantification, pronouns, and conditional sentences.  Ample example sentences from pre-Qin literature are translated into English.
  
  
• Dobson, W. A. C. H. A Dictionary of the Chinese Particles. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1974 [PL 1235 D635 PCL Reference].
  The only English-language dictionary of function words.  For each character, it provides a description of distinct usages together with example sentences which are drawn from Classical Chinese literature and translated into English. One inconvenient feature is that characters are arranged by pronunciation in the Gwoyeu Romatzyh system.  A 100-page prolegomenon on Classical Chinese function words is included.
  
  
• Gudai Hanyu xuci cidian 古代漢語虛詞辭典. Beijing, Shangwu, 1999 [PL 1237 K8].
  A Chinese-Chinese dictionary of function words.  Much more comprehensive than the above item, with entries for both single-character and compound words.  Arranged by Pinyin pronunciation.
  
  
• Yang Bojun 楊伯峻. Gu Hanyu xuci 古漢語虛詞. Beijing: Zhonghua 1981; 3^rd prnt., 2000 [PL 1237 Y354].
  Similar to the above.  Though it does not include as many entries, it provides a much more detailed discussion of each word's usages.  Edited by one of the foremost modern commentators of Classical Chinese literature.