Table Of ContentA DICTIONARY OF
HIGH FREQUENCY FUNCTION
WORDS IN LITERARY CHINESE
A Dictionary of High Frequency Function Words in Literary Chinese is the first
comprehensive work on the subject that constitutes a new approach to teaching
and learning by providing both a reference tool and a reader.
This dictionary can serve both as a reference book and as an anthology for
teaching and learning literary Chinese (the premodern written language) and
both ancient and contemporary Chinese culture. It differs from the traditional
design of dictionaries in that it includes detailed explanations, with examples,
for different uses of the graphs most often used to represent function words
in literary Chinese. To facilitate teaching and learning through association,
the early meaning, extended meanings, and borrowed meanings for each graph
are provided, along with explanations supported by the various stages of the
historical development of the graph and other relevant research. Each word is
grouped into the primary word class to which it belongs, based on its lexical or
grammatical meanings, its collocations, and its function in a sentence. Modern
idioms derived from words and phrases in the sample passages are provided
in order to promote cultural knowledge and show the important role literary
Chinese continues to play in everyday life. All Chinese words are provided with
Putonghua romanization to facilitate learning and recall through sound; special
pronunciations are explained.
T his book can be used as a textbook, as extended reading, or as a reference
work for undergraduate or graduate classes on literary/classical Chinese, Chinese
manuscript studies, Chinese language and culture, Putonghua, translation
studies, or even linguistics. It can also be used as an anthology from which the
teacher can select passages for students to study.
M ei Ah Tan, PhD (2008), University of Wisconsin–Madison, is Associate
Professor of Chinese at the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. She has published
on classical Chinese language and literature, as well as on multidisciplinary
research at the crossroads of language, literature, and history.
A DICTIONARY OF
HIGH FREQUENCY
FUNCTION WORDS
IN LITERARY CHINESE
Mei Ah Tan
Designed cover image: Tequila Sy Ching Chin
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Mei Ah Tan
The right of TAN Mei Ah to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-032-38868-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-38867-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-34721-7 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003347217
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments x
User’s Guide xii
Design of the Dictionary xv
Abbreviations xx
E ntries 1
āānn 安安 3
āānnssuuǒǒ 安安所所 7
bbùù 不不 8
bbùùyyìì 不不亦亦 .. .. .. hhūū 乎乎 1133
ddàànn 但但 1144
éérr 而而 1188
éérrhhòòuu 而而后后（（ 而而後後）） 2277
éérryyǐǐ 而而已已 2288
éérryyǐǐyyǐǐ 而而已已矣矣 2299
ěěrr 耳耳 3300
ěěrryyǐǐ 耳耳矣矣 3366
vi Contents
ěěrr 爾爾 3377
yyúúnn’’ěěrr 云云爾爾 4444
fēii 非非 4477
ffǒǒuu 否否 5522
ffúú 夫夫 5566
ffúú 弗弗 6644
ggààii 蓋蓋 6688
ggǎǎnn 敢敢 7766
ǧǧoouu 苟苟 7799
ggùù 固固 8833
hhéé 何何 8888
hhéé rrúú 何何如如 9955
hhééqqíí 何何其其 9977
hhéé wwèèii 何何為為 9999
hhéé yyǐǐ 何何以以 1100 00
hhééyyǒǒuu 何何有有 110022
hhéé 曷曷 110033
hhéé 盍盍 110088
hhūū 乎乎 111100
hhūū’’éérr 乎乎而而 111144
hhūūzzāāii 乎乎哉哉 111155
Contents vii
hhuuòò 或或 111166
jjīī 幾幾 112200
jjiiàànn 見見 112244
kkuuàànngg 況況 112288
mmòò 莫莫 113322
mmòò 莫 .. .. .. yyúú 於 .. .. .. 113377
nnǎǎii 乃乃 （（迺迺// 廼廼）） 113388
qqíí 其其 114422
qqǐǐ 豈豈 115533
qqiiěě 且且 115588
qqǐǐnngg 請請 116644
rráánn 然然 116666
rráánnhhòòuu 然然後後 116699
rruuòò 若若 117700
rruuòò 若 .. .. .. hhéé 何何 117788
sshhìì 是是 117799
sshhúú 孰孰 118844
sshhúú yyǔǔ 孰孰與與 118888
ssīī 斯斯 119900
ssīīxxūū 斯斯須須 119955
ssuuǒǒ 所所 119966
viii Contents
ssuuǒǒ yyǐǐ 所所以以 2200 00
wwééii 為為 220011
wwééii 唯唯 221166
wwééii 唯 .. .. .. sshh ìì 是是 222211
wwééii 唯 .. .. .. zz hhīī 之之 222222
wwééii 惟惟 222233
wwūū 惡惡 222277
wwúú 亡亡 223322
wwúú 毋毋 223366
wwúú 無無 223388
wwúúnnǎǎii 無無乃乃 ((毋毋乃乃)) 224422
wwùù 勿勿 224433
xxīī 奚奚 224466
xxììnn 信信 225500
yyāānn 焉焉 225544
yyéé 邪// 耶耶 226677
yyěě 也也 227711
yyǐǐ 以以 227777
yyǐǐ wwééii 以以為為 228899
yyǐǐ 矣矣 229922
yyìì 亦亦 229977
Contents ix
yyúú 于于 330000
yyúú 與與 330088
zzāāii 哉哉 331166
zzhhěě 者者 331199
zzhhīī 之之 332244
zzhhūū 諸諸 333300
Glossary of Technical Terms 334
Bibliography 339
I ndex of Idioms 348
