This comprehensive account of the history of Chinese lexicography is the first book on the subject to be published in English. It traces the development of Chinese lexicography over three millennia, from the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). Revealing how the emergence of lexicographical culture in ancient China was linked to the teaching of ancient characters, it describes the subsequent development of primers, thesauruses, and dictionaries of all major types, including those of dialects and technical terms. These works originated and appeared in ancient China, predating their western counterparts by hundreds of years: and in one form or another most of them remain in use today.

Throughout their account the authors show how changes in the organization, content, use and researches of Chinese lexicographical works reflected broader social and political developments. This book not only makes an important and original contribution to the history of Chinese lexicography and the social and cultural history of China but also provides illuminating insights into world lexicography and new forms of comparative researches in lexicography in the global context.

About the Author:
Heming Yong, MA (Suzhou University), PhD (Macquarie University), has been a visiting scholar in The University of Massachusetts and senior research fellow in Oxford University. He is currently Professor of English in Guangdong University of Business Studies, China. His many publications include Bilingual Lexicography from a Communicative Perspective (co-authored with Jing Peng, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2007) and A Contemporary Dictionary of English Prepositions (chief editor, Yiwen Publishing House, Shanghai, China). Jing Peng, BA (Xi'an Jiaotong University), MA (University of Southampton), is currently director of Business English Department at the Guangdong University of Business Studies. Her research focuses on bilingual lexicography, historical lexicography, and business English studies. Her major publications include Bilingual Lexicography from a Communicative Perspective (co-authored with Heming Yong, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2007) and A Contemporary
Dictionary of English Prepositions (associate chief editor, Yiwen Publishing House, Shanghai, China).