pên-i" (六書本義). This is a sort of dictionary in which the characters are given under 360 classifiers, an arrangement which was not adopted by others. The work, however, has been highly praised by subsequent writers, specially for its treatment of the "Chuan-chu" or "deflected" words. Chao, who has the further designation "Ku-tsê" (古則), was the author of two other treatises on the language, one of them being an extensive work in one hundred chuan.[1]
The modern etymology of the language is discussed by Chang Fu (章黼) al. Tao-ch'ang (道常), a native of Chia-ting (Kading) in Kiangsu. He compiled the "Yun-hsio-chi-ch'êng" (韻學集成), in which he made a careful revision of the distribution of characters in the four-tone classes. In this book we have twenty-one chief yun or finals, being the nineteen of Chou Tê-ch'ing with changes and additions. For example, Chang adds shan (山) and hui (灰), separates mu (模) from yü (魚), and omits chiang (江). Under the above twenty-one finals are subordinate classes which are said to be according to the finals in the "Chêng-yun." The short-tone words are distributed in these classes in a methodical manner, and in what is supposed to be a natural order. The "Yun-hsio-chi-ch'êng" has been much praised for the correct account it gives of the relations of characters under their phonetic categories. Its compiler was also the author of another etymological treatise, the "Chĭ-yin-pien" (直音篇), but this latter work does not seem to be much used or known.
The fan-ch'ie method of denoting the pronunciation of characters had now been made practically as nearly perfect as possible, but it was still found inadequate to represent sounds precisely. An attempt to introduce an improved method was made during this period by a scholar named Shên Ch'ung-sui (沈寵綏). His plan required the use of three characters instead of two. Thus he represented the spelling of kiai (chie 皆) by ki (幾), ai (哀), and i (噫). Shên was evidently in advance of his time, for his method was not adopted in any dictionary, and it
- ↑ "Ku-chin-yun-liao," Int.; "Yun-hsio."
