Best one-volume dictionary

[mandel1luke]

To all language learners out there,

I would like to buy the best one-volume monolingual Chinese dictionary out there. What are the recommendations?

Thanks.

[skylee]

Xiao Xu, one of our members, said in this post that the Xinhua Dictionary is "现代汉语最标准依据". So perhaps you should get a Xinhua Dictionary.

My taste is very different, though.

[skylee]

Also take a look at these threads (found using the search function) ->

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/39-electronic-dictionaries1

http://www.chinese-forums.com/showthread.php?p=129715

http://www.chinese-forums.com/showthread.php?p=41619

[mandel1luke]

Thanks for the links, I'll look through them.

Actually I have the Xinhua, but it's a rather small dictionary. I'm thinking of a larger one, and if you do have any recommendations, just let me know.

[mandel1luke]

Xinhua Da Zidian - did anyone know about it. How is it?

[imron]

IMO (as I stated in the threads linked to above) the best Chinese-Chinese dictionary I've used is the 现代汉语词典.

[mandel1luke]

Is there anything larger than 现代汉语词典? I've look through it but I can't say it suits my purpose. I'm thinking a bit like a large one-volume dictionary with etymology, 现代汉语词典 seems very geared towards secondary level students.

I think there's a niche market slightly above it for language learners. If a parallel can be made, 现代汉语词典 seems a bit like the Compact Oxford Dictionary for Current English, but I'm searching for something smaller and less detailed than the multi-volumed Hanyu Da Cidian but more comprehensive than Xiandai Hanyu Cidian (though in one volume).

I've found a Xinhua Da Zidian and a Xinhua Cidian (I'm a confessed fan of the Xinhua Zidian). I'm also thinking of the monolingual dictionary in the Kingsoft Powerword, but no one seems to know whether it is in print or not. Can anyone enlighten?

[gato]

I can't say it suits my purpose

Maybe you can explain that purpose, so people can understand what you are looking for?

Have you seen this dictionary?

http://www.cp.com.cn/scrp/bookdetail.cfm?iBookNo=859&sYc=1-7&sDirType=C

古今汉语字典

Or take a look at some of the others available from Commercial Press?

http://www.cp.com.cn/scrp/bookc2.cfm?sCid=ywgj01&sModule=%BA%BA%D3%EF%B9%A4%BE%DF%CA%E9

If you are in China, it would be easier to head down to a local bookstore and browse around.

[mandel1luke]

> Have you seen this dictionary?

I've browsed through it several times. I'm not in China but I'm at a place where it's possible to get tons of Chinese materials, and I've seen and flipped through both the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian and the Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Cidian first hand.

I would compare them to learners' dictionaries, but I would like something more detailed in the etymology as in the Jin1shan1 Ci2ba4.

Xiandai Hanyu Cidian is a medium-sized dictionary, somehow the next step up seems to be the Hanyu Da Cidian! I can't find a dictionary in between them. Ideally this dictionary should help in reading some classical Chinese as well. As for the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian, I already have the Yingyong Hanyu Cidian, which is every bit as good but not so reputable.

Maybe it's me, I find some of the entries in these dictionaries baffling. For example, the Guifan Cidian often assumes that readers already know the character searched for and then goes on to use it to explain its meaning, causing a catch-22 situation. The explanations are not very clear, whereas with Xinhua Zidian, at least it is precise and succinct

So I'm left with the small Xinhua and the larger Yingyong Hanyu Cidian, and like to fill a niche upward. But everything else seems mere Guwen dictionaries. They should consider this niche. In English, there's a huge market for unabridged dictionary.

BTW don't recommmend the Kangxi, it's too difficult for me.

[gato]

The dictionary I mentioned above is 古今汉语字典.

I don't agree the dictionaries you mentioned, 现代汉语词典 and 汉语规范词典, are learner's dictionary. They are the dictionaries used by educated native Chinese when they need a dictionary. They are the Chinese counterpart to the Webster or American Heritage Dictionary in the U.S. The study of linguistics is still in an infant stage in China, so you won't find many (any?) dictionaries with good etymologies. I've looked, too. There may be some, but they are probably very old (like 说文解字 written hundred of years ago) or incomplete.

[skylee]

I don't agree the dictionaries you mentioned, 现代汉语词典 and 汉语规范词典, are learner's dictionary. They are the dictionaries used by educated native Chinese when they need a dictionary.

I agree with gato's view about 現代漢語詞典. Though as a dialect speaker and a user of the traditional script I need more that what it provides. I suppose for Mandarin speakers who use the simplified script it is very sufficient. For Mandarin speakers who use the traditional script they can opt for the traditional character version.

[mandel1luke]

Please don't get offended. You're right to say that comparing these two dictionaries to learner's dictionaries may not be very appropriate. A better analogy may be to the Oxford Current or some concise monolingual English dictionary.

Between the last post and this I actually went down to a bookstore, including a branch of Commercial Press, and looked through the dictionaries. Guess what? Almost all the good dictionaries are published by Commercial Press. They published the 现代汉语词典, the 古今汉语字典, my 应用汉语字典， 古代汉语字典，古代汉语词典，新华大字典，新华词典 (both shrink-wrapped, I can't check out) and 新华现代词典, which isn't inferior to 现代汉语词典.

They are all excellent dictionaries. I'm still wondering which to buy. Maybe I'll get the 新华现代词典 and choose one more.

The strange thing is they usually published a 词典 and a 字典 ;)

[mandel1luke]

> The dictionary I mentioned above is 古今汉语字典

I did look through the 古今汉语字典, but I have reservations about buying it.

A few considerations:

1) Font is too small for my bespectacled eyes

2) I noticed a 古今汉语词典，which makes me wonder why 商务 can't merge them into one single dictionary. Is there that much difference between a 辞典/词典 and a 字典?

3) The layout is not very user-friendly, hopefully publishers should take the advice that they use a different font, eg. 宋体, for main entries, and 楷书 for examples.

4) Commercial Press is publishing too many good dictionaries, and they end up competing with each other. They should be clear about the market and do the necessary segregation.

5) I hope, and really hope, that Chinese dictionaries start using a corpus linguistics in formulating their dictionaries. Every reputable English monolingual dictionary is backed by one. Mandarin as is spoken now! Commercial Press should start a corpus linguistics too.

---------------

Update January: I've changed my mind about this. 古今汉语字典 seems to be a really excellent dictionary, excepting the font size.

[mandel1luke]

Comparing entries of 应用汉语字典 and 现代汉语规范词典, I prefer the former in terms of clarity of meaning. Both the examples and the entries clearer.

Eg. (sans examples)

现代汉语规范词典

法 [名] 1. 国家制定的法律、法令等的总称

2. 标准、模式、常理

应用汉语字典

法 [名] 2. 由国家制定或认可，并由国家强制力保证实施的一种特殊社会规范 。。。4. 标准、模范

现代汉语规范词典

连 1。[动]（事物）互相衔接

应用汉语字典

连 1。[动] 连接；贯穿在一起。