Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from An Analytical Chinese-English Dictionary: Compiled for the China Inland Mission
All characters have been arranged in groups under sounds which represent Standard Language or Mandarin E; if}, commonly but erroneously called a dialect. That a language spoken over more than two-thirds of the country should be called by such a name is strange indeed! Of dialects proper, such as those spoken in the south-eastern provinces no notice is taken. Full information concerning them is best obtained from Works compiled by local authorities. Very few outsiders are competent to deal with them. The sounds of characters as given in West China have been furnished by the Rev. S. Pollard of Yunnan, and Mr. Vale of Chen-tu, Szechuan. The long residence, wide itinerancies, and full knowledge of colloquial Chinese possessed by these gentlemen render them eminently qualified for this task. Where West Central China is referred to, it may be taken as approximately covering the ground between Kiukiang in Kiangsi and W an-hsien in Szechuan. As a matter of fact it will be usually found that the sounds thus given cover a wider area. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
