Shiming
Encyclopedia
The Shìmíng is a Chinese dictionary
that employed phonological glosses, and "is believed to date from c. 200 [CE]" (Miller 1980: 424). Its 1502 definition
s attempt to establish semantic connections based upon pun
s between the word being defined and the word defining it, which is often followed with an explanation. For instance (chapter 12: 愛哀也愛乃思念之也), "Love (ài 愛 "love; like; be fond of") is sorrow (āi "哀 sorrow; grief; lament"). If you love, then you remember fondly." The Chinese call these paronomastic glosses yínxùn
(音訓; yin-hsün; "sound teaching"), meaning "to use the pronunciation of a word to explain its meaning." This semantic association of like-sounding words goes back to the "Rectification of Names" (zhēngmíng 正名, discussed under Confucianism
), which hypothesized a connection between names and reality. The Shìmíng preface explains this ancient Chinese theory of language.
There is controversy whether this dictionary's author was Liú Xī (劉熙/刘熙; Liu Hsi; who flourished around 200 CE) or the more-famous Liú Zhēn (劉珍; Liu Chen; who died in 126
CE). The earliest reference to the Shiming is a criticism in the late 3rd century Records of Three Kingdoms
biography of Wei Zhao (韋昭; 204-273); while in prison, Wei wrote a supplement to Liú Xī's Shiming because it lacked information on official titles. The next reference is in the mid 5th century Hòu Hàn Shū biography of Liú Zhēn, which notes that he wrote an otherwise unknown Shìmíng in 30 chapters (篇). The received text has 8 fascicles/volumes (卷) and 27 sections that the Shiming preface, written in Liu Xi's name, calls 27 chapters (篇). Bibliographies in official histories simply listed the Shìmíng as having eight fascicles without mentioning the number of chapters. The Ming Dynasty
scholar Zheng Mingxuan (鄭明選; fl. during Wanli era
1572–1620) questioned the difference in chapters and doubted the book's authenticity. The Qing Dynasty
commenter Bi Yuan (畢沅; 1730–1797), who published the 1789 Shiming shuzheng (釋名疏證; "Exegetical evidence for Shiming") critical edition, believed that the work was begun by Liú Zhēn and completed by Liu Xi who added his preface. Another Qing scholar Qian Daxin (錢大昕; 1728–1804) concurred that Liu Xi was the author based upon studies of his students' biographies. Based on internal evidence, Bodman (1954: 4) concludes, "It is not impossible that [Liú Zhēn] did compose such a work and that [Liú Xī] might have used some of its material in his own work, but the chance of this having happened is very small." The date of the Shiming is almost as controversial as its author. However, it is undisputed that Liú Xī lived at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and was a refugee (who fled to Jiaozhou, present-day Hanoi
) from the turmoil between the Yellow Turban Rebellion
in 184 and the dynastic collapse in 220 CE.
From this table of contents, the Shìmíng clearly followed the Eryā
's organization into semantically arranged chapters and all their titles begin with the word shì ("explain; explaining"). The Shìmíng was also known as the Yìyǎ (逸雅; I-ya; "Lost [Er]yā]").
This dictionary is linguistically invaluable because it records the pronunciation of Hàn-era spoken Chinese. Sinologists have used its data to approximate the dates when phonological changes, such as the loss of consonant clusters, took place between Old Chinese
and Middle Chinese
.
Chinese dictionary
Chinese dictionaries date back over two millennia to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which is a significantly longer lexicographical history than any other language. There are hundreds of dictionaries for Chinese, and this article will introduce some of the most important...
that employed phonological glosses, and "is believed to date from c. 200 [CE]" (Miller 1980: 424). Its 1502 definition
Definition
A definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term , or a type of thing. The term to be defined is the definiendum. A term may have many different senses or meanings...
s attempt to establish semantic connections based upon pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s between the word being defined and the word defining it, which is often followed with an explanation. For instance (chapter 12: 愛哀也愛乃思念之也), "Love (ài 愛 "love; like; be fond of") is sorrow (āi "哀 sorrow; grief; lament"). If you love, then you remember fondly." The Chinese call these paronomastic glosses yínxùn
Shengxun
In classical Chinese philology, shengxun or yinxun is the practice of explaining a character by using a homophone or near-homophone. The practice is ancient, and can be seen in Pre-Qin texts. Xu Shen, author of the monumental Shuowen Jiezi, employed shengxun...
(音訓; yin-hsün; "sound teaching"), meaning "to use the pronunciation of a word to explain its meaning." This semantic association of like-sounding words goes back to the "Rectification of Names" (zhēngmíng 正名, discussed under Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
), which hypothesized a connection between names and reality. The Shìmíng preface explains this ancient Chinese theory of language.
In the correspondence of name with reality, there is in each instance that which is right and proper. The common people use names every day, but they do not know the reasons why names are what they are. Therefore I have chosen to record names for heaven and earth, yin and yang, the four seasons, states, cities, vehicles, clothing and mourning ceremonies, up to and including the vessels commonly used by the people, and have discussed these terms with a view to explaining their origin. (tr. Miller 1993: 424)
There is controversy whether this dictionary's author was Liú Xī (劉熙/刘熙; Liu Hsi; who flourished around 200 CE) or the more-famous Liú Zhēn (劉珍; Liu Chen; who died in 126
126
Year 126 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verus and Ambibulus...
CE). The earliest reference to the Shiming is a criticism in the late 3rd century Records of Three Kingdoms
Records of Three Kingdoms
Records of Three Kingdoms , is regarded as the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history covering the years 184-280 CE. Written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century, the work combines the smaller histories of the rival states of Cao Wei , Shu Han and...
biography of Wei Zhao (韋昭; 204-273); while in prison, Wei wrote a supplement to Liú Xī's Shiming because it lacked information on official titles. The next reference is in the mid 5th century Hòu Hàn Shū biography of Liú Zhēn, which notes that he wrote an otherwise unknown Shìmíng in 30 chapters (篇). The received text has 8 fascicles/volumes (卷) and 27 sections that the Shiming preface, written in Liu Xi's name, calls 27 chapters (篇). Bibliographies in official histories simply listed the Shìmíng as having eight fascicles without mentioning the number of chapters. 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...
scholar Zheng Mingxuan (鄭明選; fl. during Wanli era
Wanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor was emperor of China between 1572 and 1620. His era name means "Ten thousand calendars". Born Zhu Yijun, he was the Longqing Emperor's third son...
1572–1620) questioned the difference in chapters and doubted the book's authenticity. The Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
commenter Bi Yuan (畢沅; 1730–1797), who published the 1789 Shiming shuzheng (釋名疏證; "Exegetical evidence for Shiming") critical edition, believed that the work was begun by Liú Zhēn and completed by Liu Xi who added his preface. Another Qing scholar Qian Daxin (錢大昕; 1728–1804) concurred that Liu Xi was the author based upon studies of his students' biographies. Based on internal evidence, Bodman (1954: 4) concludes, "It is not impossible that [Liú Zhēn] did compose such a work and that [Liú Xī] might have used some of its material in his own work, but the chance of this having happened is very small." The date of the Shiming is almost as controversial as its author. However, it is undisputed that Liú Xī lived at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and was a refugee (who fled to Jiaozhou, present-day Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
) from the turmoil between the Yellow Turban Rebellion
Yellow Turban Rebellion
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, also translated as Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt that broke out in 184 AD in China during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty...
in 184 and the dynastic collapse in 220 CE.
Contents
| Chapter | Chinese | Pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into... | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 釋天 | Shi tian | Explaining Heaven |
| 02 | 釋地 | Shi di | Explaining Earth |
| 03 | 釋山 | Shi shan | Explaining Mountains |
| 04 | 釋水 | Shi shui | Explaining Rivers |
| 05 | 釋丘 | Shi qiu | Explaining Hills |
| 06 | 釋道 | Shi dao | Explaining Roads |
| 07 | 釋州國 | Shi zhouguo | Explaining Geography |
| 08 | 釋形體 | Shi xingti | Explaining Physical Bodies |
| 09 | 釋姿容 | Shi zirong | Explaining Appearances |
| 10 | 釋長幼 | Shi changyou | Explaining Age-group Terms |
| 11 | 釋親屬 | Shi xinshu | Explaining Kinship Terms |
| 12 | 釋言語 | Shi yanyu | Explaining Speech and Language |
| 13 | 釋飲食 | Shi yinshi | Explaining Foods and Drinks |
| 14 | 釋綵帛 | Shi caibo | Explaining Dyes and Silks |
| 15 | 釋首飾 | Shi shoushi | Explaining Hair Ornaments |
| 16 | 釋衣服 | Shi yifu | Explaining Clothing |
| 17 | 釋宮室 | Shi gongshi | Explaining Dwellings |
| 18 | 釋床帳 | Shi chuangzhang | Explaining Beds and Curtains |
| 19 | 釋書契 | Shi shuqi | Explaining Writing and Documents |
| 20 | 釋典藝 | Shi dianyi | Explaining Literature and Arts |
| 21 | 釋用器 | Shi yongqi | Explaining Utensils and Implements |
| 22 | 釋樂器 | Shi yueqi | Explaining Musical Instruments |
| 23 | 釋兵 | Shi bing | Explaining Weapons |
| 24 | 釋車 | Shi che | Explaining Wheeled Vehicles |
| 25 | 釋船 | Shi chuan | Explaining Boats |
| 26 | 釋疾病 | Shi jibing | Explaining Diseases and Illnesses |
| 27 | 釋喪制 | Shi sangzhi | Explaining Mourning Rites |
From this table of contents, the Shìmíng clearly followed the Eryā
Erya
The Erya is the oldest extant Chinese dictionary or Chinese encyclopedia. Bernhard Karlgren concluded that "the major part of its glosses must reasonably date from" the 3rd century BC....
's organization into semantically arranged chapters and all their titles begin with the word shì ("explain; explaining"). The Shìmíng was also known as the Yìyǎ (逸雅; I-ya; "Lost [Er]yā]").
This dictionary is linguistically invaluable because it records the pronunciation of Hàn-era spoken Chinese. Sinologists have used its data to approximate the dates when phonological changes, such as the loss of consonant clusters, took place between Old Chinese
Old Chinese
The earliest known written records of the Chinese language were found at a site near modern Anyang identified as Yin, the last capital of the Shang dynasty, and date from about 1200 BC....
and 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...
.
External links
- Shiming 釋名, Chinaknowledge
- 釋名 Shiming text (in Chinese)
- Chinese Text Project – 釋名 (Chinese)