Chinese encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
Chinese encyclopedias are encyclopedia
s published in the Chinese language
or encyclopedias about China
and Chinese-related topics. The origin of encyclopedias in China can be traced to the late Han dynasty
, circa 220 CE. Chinese has two words for "encyclopedia, encyclopedic", common baike and literary dadian . For example, baike quanshu (百科全書 "hundred subjects complete book") "comprehensive encyclopedia" and Yongle dadian (永樂大典 'Yongle [Emperor's] great canon) "Yongle Encyclopedia
". Encyclopedic works were published in China for well over one and a half thousand years before China's first modern encyclopedias were published after China's economic liberalization in the 1980s, during the reform period. Several encyclopedias have been published in China since then, including several specialist and children's encyclopedias. The major title currently available - in both paper and online versions - is the Encyclopedia of China
(中国大百科全书 Zhōngguó Dà Bǎikē Quánshū), published by Encyclopedia of China Publishing House
.
Since the 21st century, with internet use proliferating, a number of online encyclopedias have been started. The three largest online Chinese encyclopedias are Hudong, Baidu Baike
and Chinese Wikipedia
.
s in China
is distinctive and covers almost two thousand years. Traditional Chinese encyclopedias differ from the modern encyclopedia in that they are mainly anthologies of significant literature
with some aspects of the dictionary
. Compiled by eminent scholars
, they have been revised rather than replaced over hundreds of years. In the main, they followed a classified
form of arrangement; very often their chief use was to aid candidates for the civil service.ts' ai lun is famous for making paper 3,000 ago.
The first known Chinese encyclopedia, the Huanglan (皇覽 "Emperor's Comprehensive View"), was prepared by edict of Emperor Wen of Wei about 220 CE, but no part of this work has survived. Part of the Bianzhu ("Stringed Pearls of Literature"), prepared about 600, is still in existence. About 620 the Yiwen leiju ("Anthology of Art and Literature") was prepared by Ouyang Xun
(557-641) in 100 chapters divided into 47 sections. The Beitang shuchao ("Extracts for Books") of Yu Shinan
(558-638) was more substantial and paid particular attention to details of the organization of public administration
. An annotated edition, edited by Kong Guangdao, was published in 1880.
.
English:
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
s published in the Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
or encyclopedias about China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Chinese-related topics. The origin of encyclopedias in China can be traced to the late Han dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, circa 220 CE. Chinese has two words for "encyclopedia, encyclopedic", common baike and literary dadian . For example, baike quanshu (百科全書 "hundred subjects complete book") "comprehensive encyclopedia" and Yongle dadian (永樂大典 'Yongle [Emperor's] great canon) "Yongle Encyclopedia
Yongle Encyclopedia
The Yongle Encyclopedia was a Chinese compilation of information commissioned by the Chinese Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle in 1403 and completed by 1408...
". Encyclopedic works were published in China for well over one and a half thousand years before China's first modern encyclopedias were published after China's economic liberalization in the 1980s, during the reform period. Several encyclopedias have been published in China since then, including several specialist and children's encyclopedias. The major title currently available - in both paper and online versions - is the Encyclopedia of China
Encyclopedia of China
The Encyclopedia of China is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began at 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, beginning in 1980 with a volume on astronomy; the final volume...
(中国大百科全书 Zhōngguó Dà Bǎikē Quánshū), published by Encyclopedia of China Publishing House
Encyclopedia of China Publishing House
The Encyclopedia of China Publishing House is a publishing company in China. It was established on November 18, 1978.The Publishing House has published the Encyclopedia of China and the Chinese version of the Encyclopædia Britannica....
.
Since the 21st century, with internet use proliferating, a number of online encyclopedias have been started. The three largest online Chinese encyclopedias are Hudong, Baidu Baike
Baidu Baike
Baidu Encyclopedia is a Chinese language collaborative Web-based encyclopedia provided by the Chinese search engine Baidu. Like Baidu itself, the encyclopedia is heavily self-censored in line with government regulations....
and Chinese Wikipedia
Chinese Wikipedia
Chinese Wikipedia is the Chinese language edition of Wikipedia, run by the Wikimedia Foundation. Started in October 2002, Chinese Wikipedia had over 270,000 articles as of September 2009 and 383,391 articles as of November 7, 2011...
.
History
The history of encyclopediaEncyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
s in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
is distinctive and covers almost two thousand years. Traditional Chinese encyclopedias differ from the modern encyclopedia in that they are mainly anthologies of significant literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
with some aspects of the dictionary
Chinese dictionary
Chinese dictionaries date back over two millennia to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which is a significantly longer lexicographical history than any other language. There are hundreds of dictionaries for Chinese, and this article will introduce some of the most important...
. Compiled by eminent scholars
Scholar-bureaucrats
Scholar-officials or Scholar-bureaucrats were civil servants appointed by the emperor of China to perform day-to-day governance from the Sui Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, China's last imperial dynasty. These officials mostly came from the well-educated men known as the...
, they have been revised rather than replaced over hundreds of years. In the main, they followed a classified
Library classification
A library classification is a system of coding and organizing documents or library materials according to their subject and allocating a call number to that information resource...
form of arrangement; very often their chief use was to aid candidates for the civil service.ts' ai lun is famous for making paper 3,000 ago.
The first known Chinese encyclopedia, the Huanglan (皇覽 "Emperor's Comprehensive View"), was prepared by edict of Emperor Wen of Wei about 220 CE, but no part of this work has survived. Part of the Bianzhu ("Stringed Pearls of Literature"), prepared about 600, is still in existence. About 620 the Yiwen leiju ("Anthology of Art and Literature") was prepared by Ouyang Xun
Ouyang Xun
Ouyang Xun , courtesy name Xinben , was a Confucian scholar and calligrapher of the early Tang Dynasty. He was born in Hunan, Changsha, to a family of government officials; and died in modern Anhui province.-Achievements:...
(557-641) in 100 chapters divided into 47 sections. The Beitang shuchao ("Extracts for Books") of Yu Shinan
Yu Shinan
Yu Shinan , courtesy name Boshi , was a master of calligraphy in early Tang Dynasty. He was also a paramount official, litterateur and well known confucian scholar in Emperor Taizong of Tang's era....
(558-638) was more substantial and paid particular attention to details of the organization of public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
. An annotated edition, edited by Kong Guangdao, was published in 1880.
Publications
Encyclopedias written in ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
.
- Administrative Districts Encyclopedia of China (1999)
- Beijing Encyclopedia (1991; 2002) World's largest municipal encyclopedia. Compiled by more than 3,000 people over a period of 5 years, the reference consists of 20 volumes with more than 17 million words and over 10,000 items and illustrations. Has eight volumes covering Beijing's history, geography, districts, politics and society, economy, science, education, culture, health and tourist sites.
- Bencao Gangmu, also known as Compendium of Materia Medica, is Chinese materia medica work written by Li Shizhen in Ming Dynasty.
- Book by categoryBook by categoryA Book by category is one kind of reference book in ancient China.*First appeared in Cao Wei for the emperor Cao Pi.*During Song Dynasty Extensive Records of the Taiping Era and Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era, Prime Tortoise of the Record Bureau....
, one kind of reference book in ancient China. - Britannica Online, Traditional Chinese Edition (February 2004), the first full-length online encyclopedia in traditional Chinese, a joint publication of Britannica and Yuan-Liou Publishing Company of Taiwan
- Chinese Children's Encyclopedia, 4-volume encyclopedia, published by Zhejiang Education Press (ZEP)
- Chinese EncyclopediaChinese EncyclopediaThe Chinese Encyclopedia is a modern Chinese encyclopedia. It was published in the Republic of China from 1981 until 1983. It comprises 10 volumes and 38 categories, with more than 15,000 entries. Most of the editors were from Chinese Culture University and Zhonghua Xueshuyuan....
(1981–83), Taiwan - Chinese Towns Encyclopedia (2000) Details 20,000 Chinese towns, focusing on their economies.
- Cihai, combines dictionary and encyclopedia
- Concise Encyclopædia Britannica, 11-volume short-entry encyclopaedia in the Chinese language, published in Beijing in 1985–91, as a joint venture between Encyclopedia of China Publishing HouseEncyclopedia of China Publishing HouseThe Encyclopedia of China Publishing House is a publishing company in China. It was established on November 18, 1978.The Publishing House has published the Encyclopedia of China and the Chinese version of the Encyclopædia Britannica....
and Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. - Concise Huaxia Encyclopedia, published by Huaxia Press in Beijing. See "HuaxiaHuaxiaHuaxia is a name often used to represent China or Chinese civilization.-Etymology:According to the historical record, Zuo Zhuan, the ancient Xia Dynasty of central China was a state that held propriety and justice in high esteem...
". - Diplomacy Encyclopedia of China (2000)
- Dream Pool EssaysDream Pool EssaysThe Dream Pool Essays was an extensive book written by the polymath Chinese scientist and statesman Shen Kuo by 1088 AD, during the Song Dynasty of China...
, written by Shen Kuo in the Song Dynasty - Encyclopedia of ChinaEncyclopedia of ChinaThe Encyclopedia of China is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began at 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, beginning in 1980 with a volume on astronomy; the final volume...
(1978), the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. - Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas (1998). Chinese Heritage Centre, Singapore.
- Encyclopedia of Republic of China (2001) 16,000 entries on the Republican Era (1911–49). Published by Jiangsu Ancient Books Publishing House.
- Fayuan Zhulin, a Buddhist encyclopedia compiled AD 668 by Dao Shi
- Finest Blossoms in the Garden of LiteratureFinest Blossoms in the Garden of LiteratureThe Finest Blossoms in the Garden of Literature is an anthology of poetry, odes, songs and writings from the Liang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties era. The book was compiled by a team of officers headed by Li Fang under an imperial order from 982 to 986, during the Song Dynasty...
, an anthology of poetry, odes, songs and writings from the Liang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties era - Four Great Books of SongFour Great Books of SongThe Four Great Books of Song was compiled by Li Fang and others during the Song Dynasty . The term was coined after the last book was finished during the 11th century...
, compiled by Li Fang and others during the Song Dynasty - Gujin Tushu JichengGujin Túshu JíchéngThe Gujin Tushu Jicheng , is a vast encyclopaedic work written in China during the reigns of Qing emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng, completed in 1725. The work was headed initially by scholar Chen Menglei , and later by Jiang Tingxi. It contained 800,000 pages and over 100 million Chinese characters...
, a vast encyclopaedic work written in China during the reigns of Qing emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng, completed in 1725 - Imperial Readings of the Taiping EraImperial Readings of the Taiping EraThe Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era is a massive encyclopedia compiled by a number of officers commissioned by the imperial court of the Song Dynasty with the lead editor being Li Fang from 977 to 983 during the era of Taiping Xingguo. It is divided into 1,000 volumes and 55 sections, which...
, a massive encyclopedia in the Song Dynasty - Macao Encyclopedia (1999), the first specialist encyclopedia on Macao, published by the Macao Foundation
- Military Encyclopedia of China (2000) China's largest military encyclopedia. Comprises over 50,000 short entries.
- Modern Science and Technology Encyclopedia (2000)
- Mongolian Studies Encyclopedia (1999)
- Prime Tortoise of the Record BureauPrime Tortoise of the Record BureauThe Prime Tortoise of the Record Bureau was the largest encyclopedia compiled during the Chinese Song Dynasty . It was the last of the Four Great Books of Song, the previous three encyclopedias published in the 10th century....
, largest encyclopedia compiled during the Chinese Song Dynasty - Sancai TuhuiSancai TuhuiThe Sancai Tuhui, compiled by Shanghai natives Wang Qi and Wang Siyi , is a Chinese encyclopedia known at the time as a type of Book by category , completed in 1607 and published in 1609 during the Ming dynasty, featuring illustrations of subjects in the three worlds of heaven, earth, and...
, compiled by Wang Qi and Wang Siyi, completed in 1607 and published in 1609 - Shanghai Encyclopedia (1999; 2008), most comprehensive reference on ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
; has more than 7 million words, published by the Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House. - Shanxi Encyclopedia (2002) Published by Zhonghua Book Company; contains 8.1 million Chinese characters and 5,000 images, and is the first large reference which documents the province's history, culture, society and economy.
- Siku QuanshuSiku QuanshuThe Siku Quanshu, variously translated as the Imperial Collection of Four, Emperor's Four Treasuries, Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, or Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, is the largest collection of books in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial...
, largest collection of books in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial enterprise in the history of the world - Resource Sciences Encyclopedia (2000)
- Tàipíng guǎngjìTàipíng guangjìThe Extensive Records of the Taiping Era is a collection of stories compiled under the editorship of Li Fang, first published in 978. The book is divided into 500 volumes and consists of about 3 million words...
, a collection of stories compiled under the editorship of Li Fang, first published in 978 - Traditional Mongolian Medicine Encyclopedia (2000).
- Yiwen LeijuYiwen LeijuThe Yiwen Leiju is a Chinese encyclopedia completed during the Tang Dynasty by the calligrapher Ouyang Xun.It was divided into 47 sections and many subsections. It covered all subjects and contains many quotations from older works, many long lost. It also cites its sources. It was completed by...
, an encyclopedia completed during the Tang Dynasty by the calligrapher Ouyang Xun - Yongle EncyclopediaYongle EncyclopediaThe Yongle Encyclopedia was a Chinese compilation of information commissioned by the Chinese Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle in 1403 and completed by 1408...
(1403), a compilation commissioned by the Ming emperor Yongle—one of the earliest and largest at the time. - Zhong Hua Da Dian ("The Great Encyclopedia of China") (2008),. On China's cultural history from the Qin Dynasty to the 1911 Revolution.
Free
- Hudong Encyclopedia (June 2005), largest online Chinese language encyclopedia
- Baidu EncyclopediaBaidu BaikeBaidu Encyclopedia is a Chinese language collaborative Web-based encyclopedia provided by the Chinese search engine Baidu. Like Baidu itself, the encyclopedia is heavily self-censored in line with government regulations....
(October 2005), second largest online Chinese encyclopedia - Chinese WikipediaChinese WikipediaChinese Wikipedia is the Chinese language edition of Wikipedia, run by the Wikimedia Foundation. Started in October 2002, Chinese Wikipedia had over 270,000 articles as of September 2009 and 383,391 articles as of November 7, 2011...
(October 2002)- Cantonese Wikipedia
- Classical Chinese Wikipedia
- Hakka Wikipedia
- Mindong Wikipedia
- Minnan Wikipedia
- Wu Wikipedia
- Gan Wikipedia
- Wiki CN Encyclopedia (October 2005)
- Wiki Lib Encyclopedia (September 2004)
- Encyclopedia of Virtual Communities in Hong Kong (EVCHK) (March 2006)
Other related encyclopedias
Though not technically Chinese encyclopedias because they are not written in Chinese, there have been many specialist works in other languages that have focused on China itself as a subject. These include:English:
- Berkshire Encyclopedia of China (2009), Berkshire Publishing Group. Linsun Cheng, Kerry Brown, Winberg Chai, et al. (Editors).
- Cambridge Encyclopedia of China, Cambridge University Press.
- Encyclopedia of China, Dorothy Perkins.
- Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Chinese Civilization (2005), Greenwood Pub Group. Jing Luo (Editor).
- Science and Civilization in China, Cambridge University Press.
- Nagel's Encyclopedia Guide: China, Nagel Publishers, Geneva, 1968.
- Encyclopaedia SinicaEncyclopaedia SinicaThe ' is an English-language encyclopedia on China and China-related subjects edited by English missionary Samuel Couling, and first published in 1917. It covers a range of topics and provides insight on early 20th-century perspectives towards China...
, 1917. Samuel Couling (British)
See also
- Yongle EncyclopediaYongle EncyclopediaThe Yongle Encyclopedia was a Chinese compilation of information commissioned by the Chinese Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle in 1403 and completed by 1408...
- Four Great Books of SongFour Great Books of SongThe Four Great Books of Song was compiled by Li Fang and others during the Song Dynasty . The term was coined after the last book was finished during the 11th century...
- Dream Pool EssaysDream Pool EssaysThe Dream Pool Essays was an extensive book written by the polymath Chinese scientist and statesman Shen Kuo by 1088 AD, during the Song Dynasty of China...
- Siku QuanshuSiku QuanshuThe Siku Quanshu, variously translated as the Imperial Collection of Four, Emperor's Four Treasuries, Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, or Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, is the largest collection of books in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial...
- Chinese literatureChinese literatureChinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
- List of encyclopedias by language