Shuowen jiezi

work by Xu Shen

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July 13, 2026

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The Shuowen jiezi is a monumental dictionary compiled by Xu Shen around 100 CE. It is a crucial source for understanding the early history of Chinese characters. The dictionary contains 9,353 characters, providing definitions and etymologies. This work was compiled after the Qin dynasty's standardization of Chinese characters, which introduced a formalized style known as seal script. The Shuowen jiezi documents these characters and their evolution, offering insights into the development of the Chinese writing system.

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fenghuang
The Shuowen jiezi (1st or 2nd century ce; “An Explication of Written Characters”) describes the bird as having the breast of a goose, the hindquarters of a stag, the neck of a snake, the tail of a fish, the forehead of a fowl, the down of…
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The Shuowen jiezi (1st or 2nd century ce; “An Explication of Written Characters”) describes the bird as having the breast of a goose, the hindquarters of a stag, the neck of a snake, the tail of a fish, the forehead of a fowl, the down of…
Read More

Chinese languages
Qin dynasty standardization
…characters is the huge dictionary Shuowen jiezi, compiled by Xu Shen about ad 100. This work contains 9,353 characters, a number that certainly exceeds that which it was or ever became necessary to know offhand. Still, a great proliferation of characters took place at special times and for special purposes.…
Read More
…characters is the huge dictionary Shuowen jiezi, compiled by Xu Shen about ad 100. This work contains 9,353 characters, a number that certainly exceeds that which it was or ever became necessary to know offhand. Still, a great proliferation of characters took place at special times and for special purposes.…
Read More