Erya - Contents

Contents

Chapter Chinese Pinyin Translation Subject
1 釋詁 Shigu Explaining the Old verbs, adjectives, adverbs, grammatical particles
2 釋言 Shiyan Explaining Words verbs, adjectives, adverbs
3 釋訓 Shixun Explaining Instructions adjectives, adverbs, mostly with reduplication
4 釋親 Shiqin Explaining Relatives kinship, marriage
5 釋宮 Shigong Explaining Dwellings architecture, engineering
6 釋器 Shiqi Explaining Utensils tools, weapons, clothing, and their uses
7 釋樂 Shiyue Explaining Music music, musical instruments, dancing
8 釋天 Shitian Explaining Heaven astronomy, astrology, meteorology, calendar
9 釋地 Shidi Explaining Earth geography, geology, some regional lore
10 釋丘 Shiqiu Explaining Hills topography, Fengshui terms
11 釋山 Shishan Explaining Mountains mountains, famous mountains
12 釋水 Shishui Explaining Rivers rivers, navigation, irrigation, boating
13 釋草 Shicao Explaining Plants grasses, herbs, grains, vegetables
14 釋木 Shimu Explaining Trees trees, shrubs, some botanical terms
15 釋蟲 Shichong Explaining Insects insects, spiders, reptiles, etc.
16 釋魚 Shiyu Explaining Fishes fish, amphibians, crustaceans, reptiles, etc.
17 釋鳥 Shiniao Explaining Birds wildfowl, ornithology
18 釋獸 Shishou Explaining Beasts wild animals, legendary animals
19 釋畜 Shichu Explaining Domestic Animals livestock, pets, poultry, some zoological terms

In the history of Chinese lexicography, nearly all dictionaries were internally organized with systems of character radicals, first introduced in the Shuowen Jiezi. However, a few notable exceptions followed the Erya's arrangement by semantic categories like Heaven and Earth. The Ming Dynasty scholar Lang Kuijin (郎奎金) categorized and published the Wuya (五雅 "Five yas"): Erya, Xiao Erya ("Little Erya"), Guangya ("Expanded Erya"), Piya ("Increased Erya"), and Yìyǎ ("Lost Erya" or the Shiming). Chinese leishu (Chinese: 類書; Wade–Giles: lei-shu; "reference works arranged by categories; encyclopedias"), such as the Yongle Encyclopedia, were also semantically arranged.

Owing to its laconic lexicographical style, the Erya is the only Chinese classic that has not been fully translated into English. However, there are several unpublished PhD dissertations translating particular chapters.

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