Cultural Dictionary of The Chinese Language

Liwei Jiao is Lecturer of Chinese at Brown University, USA. Besides his rich 20-years of experience of teaching Chinese at various levels at Renmin University of China, the University of Durham and the University of Pennsylvania, he publishes extensively in Chinese phraseology, language and culture, and Chinese phonetics. Among his many publications are 500 Common Chinese Idioms (co-authored, 2010), 500 Common Chinese Proverbs and Colloquial Expressions (co-authored, 2013), The Routledge Advance Chinese Multimedia Course (co-authored, 2009, 2014); and A Thematic Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese (co-authored, 2019). He is a contributor to the Routledge Encyclopedia of the Chinese Language (ed. Chan Sin Wai, 2016) and Encyclopedia of China (3rd edition, forthcoming).

A Cultural Dictionary of the Chinese Language is less a dictionary than a well-indexed compendium of cultural insights and lore embedded in Chinese linguistic usages, aphorisms, and epigrams.....aimed at intermediate students of China, its language, and culture, and even the most advanced (and some native speakers) will find it informative and insightful. This is a must-have reference for anyone seeking to understand the sources of Chinese behavior.Chas W. Freeman, Jr., Ambassador (Ret.), principal American interpreter during President Nixon's path-breaking 1972 visit to Beijing.

• Introduction | Acknowledgments | List of Entries | 1. Overall (总论) | 2. National Character (民族性格) | 3. Religion, Philosophy, Politics, History (宗教, 哲学, 政治, 历史) | 4. Life, Society, Arts, Literature (生活, 社会, 艺术, 文学) | 5. Social Relations, Family, Women, Education (社会关系, 家庭, 女人, 教育) | 6. Nature, Animals, Language (自然, 动物, 语言) | Appendix 1: English index of entries | Appendix 2: Alphabetical index of Chinese entries | Appendix 3: Alphabetical index of Chinese expressions in footnotes | Appendix 4: Index of entries by their cultural value | Appendix 5: A brief chronology of Chinese history (to 1912)