ABC Dictionary of Chinese Proverbs (Yanyu)

<p>This Chinese-English dictionary of proverbs (<em>yanyu</em>) consists of approximately 4000 Chinese proverbs alphabetically arranged by the first word(s) (<em>ci</em>) of the proverb according to the Hanyu Pinyin transcription and Chinese characters (standard simplified) followed by a literal (and when necessary also a figurative) English translation. Additional data such as brief usage notes sources parallel expressions cross-references and famous instances of use are provided where available. The proverbs are supplemented by an index of key words (both Chinese and English) found in all entries and of all topics addressed. The author has provided a scholarly introduction analyzing the definition structure usage and history of these <em>yanyu</em> in traditional and contemporary China as well as a bibliography of collections and relevant scholarly studies of <em>yanyu</em>. This work the first such scholarly collection to appear since the Reverend Scarborough's 1926 collection will be of use not only to sinologists in a wide variety of fields including anthropology literature sociology psychology and history but also to non-Chinese readers interested in Chinese culture or comparative ethno-linguistic and paremiological research.</p>