Qieyun
Encyclopedia
The Qieyun is a Chinese
rime dictionary
, published in 601
CE during the Sui Dynasty
. The title Qieyun literally means "cutting rimes" referring to the traditional Chinese fănqiè
(反切; "reverse-cutting") system of spelling, and is thus translatable as "Spelling Rimes."
Lù Făyán (陸法言; Lu Fa-yen; 581-618 CE) was the chief editor. The Qieyun preface describes how the book originated from discussions with eight of his friends at his home in Cháng'ān
, which was the Suì
capital.
(顏之推) and Xiao Gai (蕭該), both men originally from the south, were the most influential in setting up the norms on which the Qieyun was based. (Norman 1988:25)
The Qieyun did not directly record Middle Chinese
as a spoken language, but rather how Chinese characters should be pronounced. Since this rime dictionary's spellings are the primary source for reconstructing Middle Chinese, linguists have disagreed over what variety of Chinese it recorded. "Much ink has been spilled concerning the nature of the language underlying the Qieyun," says Norman (1988: 24), who lists three points of view. Some scholars, like Bernhard Karlgren
, "held to the view that the Qieyun represented the language of Chang'an"; some "others have supposed that it represented an amalgam of regional pronunciations," technically known as a diasystem
. "At the present time most people in the field accept the views of the Chinese scholar Zhou Zumo" (周祖謨; 1914-1995) that Qieyun spellings were a north-south regional compromise between literary pronunciations from the Southern and Northern Dynasties
.
When classical Chinese poetry flowered during the Tang Dynasty
, the Qieyun became the authoritative source for literary pronunciations and it repeatedly underwent revisions and enlargements (see the link below). It was annotated in 677 by Zhāngsūn Nèyán (長孫訥言), revised and published in 706 by Wáng Renxu (王仁煦) as the Kanmiu Buque Qieyun (刊謬補缺切韻; "Corrected and supplemented Qieyun), collated and republished in 751 by Sun Mian (孫愐) as the Tángyùn (唐韻; "Tang rimes"), and eventually incorporated into the still-extant Guǎngyùn
and Jíyùn
rime dictionaries from the Song Dynasty
. Although most of these Tang dictionary redactions were believed lost, some fragments were discovered among the Dunhuang manuscripts
and manuscripts discovered at Turpan; and in 1947 a nearly complete manuscript of the 706 edition was found in the Palace Museum.
Like subsequent rime dictionaries, the Qieyun was organized into the four tone name
groups, divided into 193 final rimes (each named by its first character, called the yùnmù 韻目; "rime eye"), and subdivided into homophone groups (beginning with a fanqie spelling). It contains 16,917 character entries.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
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...
, published in 601
601
Year 601 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 601 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Arts and sciences :* The earliest dated English words...
CE during the Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
. The title Qieyun literally means "cutting rimes" referring to the traditional Chinese fănqiè
Fanqiè
In Chinese phonology, fanqie is a method to indicate the pronunciation of a character by using two other characters.-The Origin:...
(反切; "reverse-cutting") system of spelling, and is thus translatable as "Spelling Rimes."
Lù Făyán (陸法言; Lu Fa-yen; 581-618 CE) was the chief editor. The Qieyun preface describes how the book originated from discussions with eight of his friends at his home in Cháng'ān
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
, which was the Suì
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
capital.
In the evening, after they had enjoyed their wine, their discussions always turned to phonology. Differences obtained between the pronunciations of the past and the present and different principles of selection were followed by the various authors. … And so we discussed the right and wrong of South and North, and the prevailing and the obsolete of past and present; wishing to present a more refined and precise standard, we discarded all that was ill-defined and lacked preciseness. … And so I grasped my brush, and aided by the light of a candle, I wrote down a draft summary, which eventually was perfected through wide consultation and penetrating research. (tr. Baxter 1992: 35-36)None of the editors was originally from Chang'an; they were native speakers of differing dialects—five northern and three southern (Norman 1988:25, Baxter 1992:37). According to Lu, Yan Zhitui
Yan Zhitui
Yan Zhitui was a Chinese scholar, calligrapher, painter, musician, and government official who served four different Chinese states during the late Southern and Northern Dynasties: the Liang Dynasty in southern China, the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou Dynasties of northern China, and their...
(顏之推) and Xiao Gai (蕭該), both men originally from the south, were the most influential in setting up the norms on which the Qieyun was based. (Norman 1988:25)
The Qieyun did not directly record Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese , also called Ancient Chinese by the linguist Bernhard Karlgren, refers to the Chinese language spoken during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties...
as a spoken language, but rather how Chinese characters should be pronounced. Since this rime dictionary's spellings are the primary source for reconstructing Middle Chinese, linguists have disagreed over what variety of Chinese it recorded. "Much ink has been spilled concerning the nature of the language underlying the Qieyun," says Norman (1988: 24), who lists three points of view. Some scholars, like Bernhard Karlgren
Bernhard Karlgren
Klas Bernhard Johannes Karlgren was a Swedish sinologist and linguist who pioneered the study of Chinese historical phonology using modern comparative methods...
, "held to the view that the Qieyun represented the language of Chang'an"; some "others have supposed that it represented an amalgam of regional pronunciations," technically known as a diasystem
Diasystem
In the field of structural dialectology, a diasystem or polylectal grammar is an analysis set up to encode or represent a range of related varieties...
. "At the present time most people in the field accept the views of the Chinese scholar Zhou Zumo" (周祖謨; 1914-1995) that Qieyun spellings were a north-south regional compromise between literary pronunciations from the Southern and Northern Dynasties
Southern and Northern Dynasties
The Southern and Northern Dynasties was a period in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589 AD. Though an age of civil war and political chaos, it was also a time of flourishing arts and culture, advancement in technology, and the spreading of Mahayana Buddhism and Daoism...
.
When classical Chinese poetry flowered during the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, the Qieyun became the authoritative source for literary pronunciations and it repeatedly underwent revisions and enlargements (see the link below). It was annotated in 677 by Zhāngsūn Nèyán (長孫訥言), revised and published in 706 by Wáng Renxu (王仁煦) as the Kanmiu Buque Qieyun (刊謬補缺切韻; "Corrected and supplemented Qieyun), collated and republished in 751 by Sun Mian (孫愐) as the Tángyùn (唐韻; "Tang rimes"), and eventually incorporated into the still-extant Guǎngyùn
Guangyun
The Guangyun is a Chinese rime dictionary that was compiled from 1007 to 1008 under the auspices of Emperor Zhenzong of Song. Chen Pengnian and Qiu Yong were the chief editors....
and Jíyùn
Jiyun
The Jiyun is a Chinese rime dictionary published in 1037 during the Song Dynasty. The chief editor Ding Du and others expanded and revised the Guangyun. It is possible, according to Teng and Biggerstaff , that Sima Guang completed the text in 1067...
rime dictionaries from the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
. Although most of these Tang dictionary redactions were believed lost, some fragments were discovered among the Dunhuang manuscripts
Dunhuang manuscripts
The Dunhuang manuscripts is a cache of important religious and secular documents discovered in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China during the early 20th century. Dating from the 5th to early 11th centuries, the manuscripts include works ranging from history and mathematics to folk songs and dance...
and manuscripts discovered at Turpan; and in 1947 a nearly complete manuscript of the 706 edition was found in the Palace Museum.
Like subsequent rime dictionaries, the Qieyun was organized into the four tone name
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...
groups, divided into 193 final rimes (each named by its first character, called the yùnmù 韻目; "rime eye"), and subdivided into homophone groups (beginning with a fanqie spelling). It contains 16,917 character entries.
External links
- Principal Versions of the Qieyun, Marjorie Chan's webpage version of Baxter's (1992: 39) table
- Cite for looking up characters in Middle Chinese