Questions and Answers on Word Meanings in Ancient Chinese
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Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- University or graduate students with a scholarly interest in Old Chinese and xungu
- Professionals in language teaching or editing who wish to improve their command of language
- Lovers of history and literature who read classical Chinese texts and long to break through literal understanding to explore cultural origins
- Readers who want a systematic understanding of traditional Chinese philological methods and spirit in order to strengthen their foundation in national learning
Not a good fit for
- Users seeking only a reference book for quick, scattered lookup of individual character meanings
- Readers with no interest in classical Chinese or linguistic theory who expect light, story-driven reading
Reading tips
- Read the book through first to gain an overall impression of xungu methods, then return to specific difficulties encountered in your own reading for close study and verification.
- Keep a copy of the Shuowen Jiezi at hand while reading, comparing Mr. Lu's explanations with the original text of the Shuowen to appreciate the subtlety of his character analysis.
- Most examples are drawn from classics; seek out the relevant passages and read them alongside the book to deepen your understanding of semantic change and xungu methods in specific contexts.
About the publisher
Zhonghua Book Company is a publisher known for collating ancient texts and academic publishing, with its output centered on Eastern philosophy, culture, classic works, art, and historical reading. Its library contains 532 titles, including Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Qingfan's Collected Commentaries on Zhuangzi, the four-volume Chinese Literature: Four Great Classical Novels, and the two-volume Table of Seal and Clerical Script Forms from Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin. These titles span historical classics, commentaries on the philosophers, classical novels, and philological reference works. Representative authors include Chen Shou, Guo Qingfan, Wu Cheng'en, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Luo Guanzhong, Xu Wenwu, and the Hanyu Dazidian character-form group, reflecting a focus on primary sources and scholarly editors. Its publishing character lies in combining authoritative editions and annotated texts with both accessible classics and specialized research. Public information on its fuller catalog is limited; this note describes only the directions evident in the library's holdings.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 出版説明
- 初版説明
- 新版序言
- 前言 談古代文獻詞義的探求
- 説“祭”字
- “中”字形義釋
- “劉”字的本義與避諱
- 談“局”的本義
- 釋“皇”
- “骯髒”解
- 談“撥亂反正”
- “備行伍”解
- 干支字形義釋
- 談先秦文獻中“如”的詞義
- 釋“類”
- 談“首鼠兩端”的“鼠”
- “檥船待”解
- “草”字小議
- 談談“因”字的形與義
- 談“社”與“后”
- “職”、“志”同源説
- “時”、“待”同源説
- 談“祈”與“乞”
- “玩”、“翫”、“忨”辨
- 談“”及其有關的字與詞
- “名”、“命”、“明”、“鳴”義相通説
- “戲”、“麾”、“和”、“綏”皆旗説
- “言”與“語”辨
- 從“除”與“守”看古今詞義的微殊
- “資斧”古義考
- 談“加”、“暫”、“數”的詞義訓釋
- 釋“趼”
- “唱喏”考
- “騃”與“呆”
- 釋“貪墨”
- “原田每每，舍其舊而新是謀”解
- “尚書”與“尚公主”
- “尉劍挺”解
- 論“行李”即“行使”
- “輔車相依”解
- “麗土之毛”與“不毛之地”
- “天保”考釋
FAQ
What is the difference between this book and the Dictionary of Commonly Used Characters in Old Chinese?
Can readers with no foundation in Old Chinese understand this book?
How does this book help with understanding other ancient texts?
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About the author
Lu Zongda: publicly available information is limited. Judging from the works held in the library, his scholarly focus lies in xunguxue (the study of glossing ancient texts) and the study of word meaning in Classical Chinese. The three works currently available are Knowledge and Application of Xunguxue, Methodology of Xunguxue, and Questions and Answers on Word Meaning in Classical Chinese; the titles themselves reveal his attention to popularizing xungu knowledge, constructing methodology, and resolving difficult questions of word meaning. These writings are aimed mainly at learners and researchers of Classical Chinese, emphasizing the analysis of concrete problems and the organization of methods rather than abstract theoretical exposition. In Chinese book classification, his works are often placed under language and writing and under Eastern philosophy, indicating that his research belongs both to linguistic philology and to the reading and understanding of classical texts. Overall, Lu Zongda's writing is grounded in xungu practice, stresses the application and transmission of knowledge, and offers reference value to those studying Classical Chinese word meaning and xungu methods. Owing to the lack of biographical materials, no further inferences are made here.
Wang Ning: publicly available information is limited, and the shape of his work emerges mainly from the thirty-five titles held in the collection. Judging by his representative works, his writing spans several fields. He has produced works on Chinese language and philology such as Principles of Exegesis (Expanded Edition), Twelve Lectures on the Structure of Chinese Characters, and Ancient Chinese. He has also worked on classical texts including the Zuo Commentary and the Huainanzi, on the poetry of Wen Tingyun, and on the travel record of Xu Xiake, as well as on communication research methods. This range suggests a scholar engaged with both traditional philology and classical documents, writing with scholarly rigor while keeping specialized knowledge clear and readable. The collection also classifies his works under Eastern philosophy, examination preparation, essays, and film and television, indicating that he writes for classrooms, research, and general readers alike. Because his dates, nationality, and educational background are unknown, this note offers no speculation and limits itself to an objective sketch of his subjects and orientations.
