Dictionary of the Foochow Dialect

Front matter

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

As two names appear on the title-page of this dictionary, it is proper to indicate our respective shares in its preparation; and the more so, as it is due to the Rev. Mr. Baldwin to state that the larger portion of the labor of authorship has been freely performed by him, and that to his correct scholarship, extensive knowledge of the Foochow dialect, and indomitable perseverance, the dictionary is mainly indebted for the degree of thoroughness and accuracy it may possess. The manuscript for that portion of the dictionary comprised in pp. 1-631 was originally prepared by myself, but it was subsequently very carefully revised and improved by Mr. Baldwin, and a considerable portion of it (pp. 403-631) was entirely rewritten by him. The portion comprised in pp. 632-1014, together with the Introduction to the dictionary, was prepared by Mr. Baldwin, and, as it was impracticable for me to revise his manuscript, it was printed just as it came from his hands. The general plan of the work and the responsibility for the whole are mine.

The design and scope of the dictionary are so fully set forth in the Introduction, given no subsequent pages, that it is unnecessary to make any extended remarks on the subject in this place. The aim has been to present a work on the subject in this place. The aim has been to present a work that shall at once illustrate the Foochow dialect, and prove a valuable help to all students of the Chinese language. The definitions of the characters, and a large number of the phrases given under them will apply equally well to any dialect, through which the student seeks to acquire a knowledge of the general written language of China. Everything in the work that is peculiar to the Foochow dialect has been carefully marked, so that the student cannot be misled on this point. The large number of Romanized words appearing in the dictionary, and for which the written language furnishes no characters, is an interesting feature of this dialect, and indicates that modern Chinese thought is outgrowing the stereotyped forms of this ancient language. The same feature appears in other dialects.

List of the 214 radicals

List of the 214 radicals (cê buô 字 部)

With their sounds in the Foochow dialect, and one or more of their leading significations. In some cases a special name used in Foochow to designate this radical is added in parenthesis. Otherwise they are designated as kēu-bèng (No. 30), ngiòng-bèng (No. 149), etc. or as pék-buô (No. 103), hièng-buô (No. 95), etc.

Index of Characters

Index of Characters (mŭk liŏh 目 錄)

In the following index the characters contained in this dictionary are arranged under their respective radicals, being grouped according to the number of strokes they contain. The figure in parenthesis above each radical indicates its number in the list of radicals. The small figures on the extreme left indicate the number of additional strokes in the group of characters immediately below. In most Chinese dictionaries the arrangement of the body of the dictionary is like this index.