j a m e s f o r s y t h ✡ n e t

Asher doesn’t realise yet that the layered look might be ok for shirts, jumpers, pullovers and jackets but looks a little strange with hats.

One can see from the credits page towards the start that quite a team went into putting this dictionary together. Other than the editor John DeFrancis himself, there are five associate editors, four editorial associates, two computer associates and twelve proofreading associates (two of whom double as associate editors). This spread of “eyes” is important with dictionary compilation as the fewer people working on the text, the more nuanced the definitions and selection of words.

I like the inclusion of the Kangxi and Comprehensive Radical Charts at the “back end paper verso” (back cover) of the dictionary. The front covers are blank, which could have been used in a similar way, perhaps for a summary of stroke-order rules.

Speaking of stroke-order rules, I have rarely, if ever, seen a satisfactory treatment of this in any Chinese text, let alone dictionary. Unfortunately this includes the volume at hand. The best method that I have seen is employed for the use of Japanese lexicography, in Hadamitzky and Spahn’s Kanji & Kana (Tuttle - 0-8048-2077-5).

On the whole, however, the appendices included at the back are comprehensive, necessary and easy to follow.

The inclusion of words with Roman lettering (such as “a Q jingshen - attitude that treats defeats as personal moral victories” p9) shows the trend towards the use of English words and letters interspersed in Mandarin in modern China.

The “er” retroflexive suffix is a handy inclusion - at each relevant entry - for anyone wanting to travel to Beijing or the surrounding area. The same word can have this suffix appended or not, depending on the intended meaning. Thus, it is of great benefit to be able to check at a glance whether it is included in each individual entry, without having to memorise the rule/s concerned. A cheap handbook (shou ce) on the “er” suffix, called “hanyu erhuaci xuexi shouce / Chinese-er suffixed words without tears” is available, published by Beijing University.

It would have been good if measure words were included in the entries as well. But this may have overly complicated the process, as a word can have more than one measure word depending on the context in which it is used. On page 1360 and onwards, however, there is a very useful appendix listing many measure words and their respective usages.

Whenever a character has been simplified, the traditional character is shown in square brackets. This is essential for anyone interested in the etymology of a character. Also, if you have spent time in Hong Kong or Shen Zhen, or have studied Chinese before using fantizi (traditional characters) you will appreciate being able to move from the familiar to the more challenging.

This dictionary has an electronic counterpart, namely Wenlin. Wenlin is top-of-the-range Chinese dictionary software, with many added benefits over using the book alone. This includes a flashcards function, a drawing box for character look-up, and spoken pronunciation of a high quality; not to mention the ability to upgrade from Wenlin’s website.

If you are thinking of buying both the ABC dictionary and Wenlin, I would err on the side of “lexical diversity” by choosing Wenlin and, possibly, Oxford’s 3rd edition English-Chinese/Chinese-English dictionary, the one with the red cover (0-19-596457-8). The benefits of this, are twofold. First, you would have an English-Chinese dictionary (which ABC has not and Wenlin’s is limited). Second, the Oxford dictionary is smaller, and much more portable, than ABC (but the 1999 edition of ABC is available in a smaller size).

Although the text size is quite small, the print quality is of such a standard that the components and shape of complicated characters (i.e. jiantizi - simplified - but still complicated) can still be discerned.

Perhaps most importantly, with this dictionary most of all, please read the Introduction and Reader’s Guide at the front of this dictionary as soon as possible. It contains information on the arrangement of words, orthography, parts of speech and many other indispensable tools.

Asher has a new set of three Thomas the Tank Engine trains, from the “Sodor Collector’s Pack”.

As part of our ongoing efforts to teach him Chinese, as well as English (the latter he learns automatically without our intervention), we only let him actually watch Thomas the Tank in Chinese - the same goes for all other TV. It can quite easily be downloaded.

Thomas the Tank in Chinese looks like this: 汤玛士小火车. If your browser isn’t set to view Chinese it will look like a bunch of nonsense symbols or question marks.

Other shows Asher likes to watch are:

The latter is a link to an online store where you can buy the DVDs. I was unable to find the official page, if existent. Any help would be appreciated.

Asher has a total fixation for these new toys, which fits in nicely with our agenda of keeping him excited about watching Chinese TV.

Asher likes toast as well.