Peiwen Yunfu
Encyclopedia
The Peiwen Yunfu is a 1711 Chinese
rime dictionary
of literary allusions and poetic dictions. Collated by tone
and rime
, the dictionary serves the composition of poetry.
Like the Kangxi dictionary
, the Peiwen Yunfu was compiled under the patronage of the Kangxi Emperor
, whose imperial library was named Peiwen ("esteem/admire writing/phrases/literature"). He believed that previous Chinese dictionaries of multiple-character phrases, including the Yuan Dynasty
Yunfu qunyu 韻府群玉 and the Ming Dynasty
Wuche yunrui 五車韻瑞, were incomplete and sometimes erroneous. Over twenty editors, including Zhang Yushu (張玉書, 1642-1711) and Chen Tingjing (陳廷敬, 1638-1712), began the compilation in 1704 and finished in 1711. In 1716, the emperor ordered the creation of a supplement, the Yunfu shiyi 韻府拾遺, which was completed in 1720.
The Peiwen yunfu is a large dictionary (212 卷 "volumes; fascicles") of two-, three-, and four-character idioms. It contains roughly 560,000 items under 10,257 entries arranged by 106 rhymes. Classical allusions and phrases are classified under the rhyme of their last character, with numerous quotations given to illustrate usage.
Although the Peiwen yunfu, which James Legge
calls the "Kangxi Thesaurus" http://www.fullbooks.com/THE-CHINESE-CLASSICS-PROLEGOMENA-Unicode.html, is less famous than the Kangxi dictionary, it can be helpful in tracing literary usages. "Whenever names or phrases are met with which are not understood," say Teng & Biggerstaff (1971:97), "this is the first work which should be consulted."
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
rime dictionary
Rime dictionary
thumb|upright=1.0|A page from Shiyun Hebi , a rime dictionary of the [[Qing Dynasty]]A rime dictionary, rhyme dictionary, or rime book is an ancient type of Chinese dictionary used for writing poetry or other genres requiring rhymes. A rime dictionary focuses on pronunciation and collates...
of literary allusions and poetic dictions. Collated by tone
Tone name
In the Chinese and Vietnamese languages, tone names are the names given to the tones these languages use.*In Chinese, tone names are given in terms of the four tones, namely level , rising , departing , and entering , as well as dark and light , and high and low .* Standard Vietnamese has six...
and rime
Syllable rime
In the study of phonology in linguistics, the rime or rhyme of a syllable consists of a nucleus and an optional coda. It is the part of the syllable used in poetic rhyme, and the part that is lengthened or stressed when a person elongates or stresses a word in speech.The rime is usually the...
, the dictionary serves the composition of poetry.
Like the Kangxi dictionary
Kangxi dictionary
The Kangxi Dictionary was the standard Chinese dictionary during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Kangxi Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty ordered its compilation in 1710. The creator innovated greatly by reusing and confirming the new Zihui system of 596 radicals, since then known as 596 Kangxi...
, the Peiwen Yunfu was compiled under the patronage of the Kangxi Emperor
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor ; Manchu: elhe taifin hūwangdi ; Mongolian: Энх-Амгалан хаан, 4 May 1654 –20 December 1722) was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the first to be born on Chinese soil south of the Pass and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.Kangxi's...
, whose imperial library was named Peiwen ("esteem/admire writing/phrases/literature"). He believed that previous Chinese dictionaries of multiple-character phrases, including the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
Yunfu qunyu 韻府群玉 and the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
Wuche yunrui 五車韻瑞, were incomplete and sometimes erroneous. Over twenty editors, including Zhang Yushu (張玉書, 1642-1711) and Chen Tingjing (陳廷敬, 1638-1712), began the compilation in 1704 and finished in 1711. In 1716, the emperor ordered the creation of a supplement, the Yunfu shiyi 韻府拾遺, which was completed in 1720.
The Peiwen yunfu is a large dictionary (212 卷 "volumes; fascicles") of two-, three-, and four-character idioms. It contains roughly 560,000 items under 10,257 entries arranged by 106 rhymes. Classical allusions and phrases are classified under the rhyme of their last character, with numerous quotations given to illustrate usage.
Although the Peiwen yunfu, which James Legge
James Legge
James Legge was a noted Scottish sinologist, a Scottish Congregationalist, representative of the London Missionary Society in Malacca and Hong Kong , and first professor of Chinese at Oxford University...
calls the "Kangxi Thesaurus" http://www.fullbooks.com/THE-CHINESE-CLASSICS-PROLEGOMENA-Unicode.html, is less famous than the Kangxi dictionary, it can be helpful in tracing literary usages. "Whenever names or phrases are met with which are not understood," say Teng & Biggerstaff (1971:97), "this is the first work which should be consulted."
External links
- Peiwen yunfu 佩文韻府, Ulrich Theobald