Zihui
Encyclopedia
The Zìhuì is a Chinese dictionary
, edited by Mei Yingzuo (梅膺祚) during the late Ming Dynasty
and published in 1615, the forty-third year of the Ming Wanli Emperor
. The work is divided into 14 fascicle
s (juan 巻 "scrolls") and contains a total of 33,179 Chinese character
s. It was the first dictionary to introduce the modern radical-stroke system. Whilst the ancillary first and last fascicles explain topics like stroke order
and radicals
, the main ones are named after the twelve Earthly Branches
. The Qing Dynasty
scholar Wu Renchen (吳任臣, 1628–1689) published the 1666 Zihui bu (字彙補 "Zihui supplement").
, the dictionary reduced the number of radicals (bushou 部首, literally 'section header') used for classification to 214 and included a number of non-standard character forms known as sú zì (俗字). The Zìhuì also formed the basis for the later Zhengzitong
written by Zhang Zilie (張自烈). In order to make this lexicographical advance into the logically arranged 214 radicals, Mei Yingzuo simplified and rationalized the inefficient classification system used in the Shuowen Jiezi in which some radicals contain few characters. For instance, its "man radical" 男, which compounds the "field radical" 田 and the "power radical" 力, only lists three: nan 男 ("man; male"), sheng 甥 ("nephew; niece"), and jiu 舅 ("uncle; brother in law"). The Zihui more efficiently lists nan 男 under the "power radical", sheng 甥 under the "life radical" 生, and jiu 舅 under the "mortar radical" 臼.
of Chinese characters. It also introduced the "radical-and-stroke sorting" principle of arranging characters under a radical according to the number of residual strokes. Since the famous 1716 Kangxi dictionary
adopted these 214 graphic elements, they are commonly called the List of Kangxi radicals rather than "List of Zihui radicals".
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...
, edited by Mei Yingzuo (梅膺祚) during the late 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...
and published in 1615, the forty-third year of the Ming Wanli Emperor
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...
. The work is divided into 14 fascicle
Fascicle
A fascicle is a bundle or a cluster. The Latin term fasciculus may also be used with the same meanings.Fascicle or fasciculus may refer to:In anatomy:...
s (juan 巻 "scrolls") and contains a total of 33,179 Chinese character
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
s. It was the first dictionary to introduce the modern radical-stroke system. Whilst the ancillary first and last fascicles explain topics like stroke order
Stroke order
Stroke order refers to the order in which the strokes of a Chinese character are written. A stroke is a movement of a writing instrument on a writing surface. Chinese characters are used in various forms in Chinese, Japanese, and in Korean...
and radicals
Radical (Chinese character)
A Chinese radical is a component of a Chinese character. The term may variously refer to the original semantic element of a character, or to any semantic element, or, loosely, to any element whatever its origin or purpose...
, the main ones are named after the twelve Earthly Branches
Earthly Branches
The Earthly Branches provide one Chinese system for reckoning time.This system was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter. Chinese astronomers divided the celestial circle into 12 sections to follow the orbit of Suìxīng . Astronomers rounded the orbit of Suixing to 12 years...
. 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....
scholar Wu Renchen (吳任臣, 1628–1689) published the 1666 Zihui bu (字彙補 "Zihui supplement").
Classification system
Compared to the 540 section headers used in the earlier Shuowen JieziShuowen Jiezi
The Shuōwén Jiězì was an early 2nd century CE Chinese dictionary from the Han Dynasty. Although not the first comprehensive Chinese character dictionary , it was still the first to analyze the structure of the characters and to give the rationale behind them , as well as the first to use the...
, the dictionary reduced the number of radicals (bushou 部首, literally 'section header') used for classification to 214 and included a number of non-standard character forms known as sú zì (俗字). The Zìhuì also formed the basis for the later Zhengzitong
Zhengzitong
The Zhengzitong was a 17th century Chinese dictionary. The Ming Dynasty scholar Zhang Zilie originally published it in 1627 as a supplement to the 1615 Zihui dictionary of Chinese characters, and called it the Zihui bian...
written by Zhang Zilie (張自烈). In order to make this lexicographical advance into the logically arranged 214 radicals, Mei Yingzuo simplified and rationalized the inefficient classification system used in the Shuowen Jiezi in which some radicals contain few characters. For instance, its "man radical" 男, which compounds the "field radical" 田 and the "power radical" 力, only lists three: nan 男 ("man; male"), sheng 甥 ("nephew; niece"), and jiu 舅 ("uncle; brother in law"). The Zihui more efficiently lists nan 男 under the "power radical", sheng 甥 under the "life radical" 生, and jiu 舅 under the "mortar radical" 臼.
Legacy
The Zihui is renowned for establishing the system of 214 radicals still used in dictionaries today as the basis for the collationCollation
Collation is the assembly of written information into a standard order. One common type of collation is called alphabetization, though collation is not limited to ordering letters of the alphabet...
of Chinese characters. It also introduced the "radical-and-stroke sorting" principle of arranging characters under a radical according to the number of residual strokes. Since the famous 1716 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...
adopted these 214 graphic elements, they are commonly called the List of Kangxi radicals rather than "List of Zihui radicals".
Modern day meaning
In modern Chinese usage, zihui can mean ", , or ".External links
- 字彙補 – Chinese Text ProjectChinese Text ProjectThe Chinese Text Project is a digital library project that assembles collections of early Chinese texts. The name of the project in Chinese literally means "The Digitization Project of Chinese Philosophy Books", showing its focus on books related to Chinese philosophy...
- The 214 Radicals 部首, ChinaKnowledge