A dictionary of Chinese symbols : hidden symbols in Chinese life and thought

by Wolfram Eberhard

Paperback, 1986

Publication

London ; New York : Routledge, c1986

Call number

Reference / Symbol

Barcode

BK-06738

ISBN

0415002281 / 9780415002288

Original publication date

1983

Collections

Your library, Adult Materials, Religious Studies, Reference Non-Circulating

Physical description

332 p.; 22 cm

Description

Originally published in 1981. Examining in detail the best evidence on the likely level of domestic and overseas demand for British coal over the following 20 years, this study raised questions about the declared development and investment strategy of the National Coal Board. It exposes a central dilemma facing both the management and the unions of the British coal industry consequent upon their commitment to production objectives substantially out of line with likely market opportunities. It also poses questions for government and the EEC regarding the industry's finances and market prospects. The study concludes that Britain is unlikely to need both the scale of investment proposed for the coal industry and the nuclear programme endorsed by both the government and the electricity supply industry. The author argues for a rigorous reinterpretation of the prospects and a revision of the plans of Western Europe's largest coal industry. This is a fascinating snapshot of a changing industry and is interesting to those in geography, economics and industrial management and anyone interested in energy.… (more)

Language

English

Original language

German

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User reviews

LibraryThing member iayork

Delightful: This is a noteworthy volume from someone who for five decades had been one of the worlds preeminent Sinologists. The late Wolfram Eberhard, a former instructor at Peking National University, unfolds the story behind over 400 Chinese characters giving the reader a vivid insight to

Chinese life and thought.The book starts with a ten-page introduction to Chinese symbolism and how the Chinese conception of words differ from views held by the West. The remainder of the book is an alphabetical listing of important symbols written in the form of an English-Chinese dictionary. Each entry contains the English word for a particular symbol, the Chinese equivalent (using both Chinese characters and Peking romanization) and an explanation as to why the ideas behind the symbol are important. Many entries are multiple paragraphs long and are accompanied by black-and-white illustrations from Chinese texts. Among the entries are numbers, colors, plants and animals, mythological characters, the cardinal directions, body parts, bodily functions, and several concepts that are uniquely Chinese. While the title implies the book is a dictionary this is a bit of a misnomer. Eberhard uses the dictionary format as a vehicle to introduce the reader to the cultural symbolism that lies behind selected Chinese characters. You will not find any detail on radicals, stroke order, stroke counts, or pronunciation as you might in a more typical language-oriented Chinese dictionary.
It would be impossible to comprehensively survey even the most common elements of Chinese symbology. The author himself states that his selections follow from a few basic themes such as health, happiness, and longevity. For a volume of its size and given the level of detail that it contains, Eberhard's work is about as comprehensive as one can get. The only real detraction is the lack of an index. Language students might also be disappointed by the lack of pin-yin romanization. The book is wonderful as a stand-alone primer on Chinese culture or as an adjunct text for students of the Chinese language who desire an intimate knowledge of the latent symbology that accompanies many Chinese words.

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