A Study Of Loanword In Hanshu And The Compilation And Consummation Of The Grand Dictionary Of Chinese Language

HanShu is the first dynasty history of China, whose style became the model of the following history books. Its literature value was and is being highly appreciated. It is over 2000 years from the East Han Dynasty nowadays that specialists and scholars have harvested greatly. They ever explained the words, researched the history truth or classic allusions, checked the versions, reinforced the proofs and so on. As for study on loanwords, some could be seen in the comments of Yan Shigu and Wang Xianqian, some in papers or books of minority textual research, and some in geography textual study. However, untill now the writer has not found one paper or book that wholly aimed on the loanwords in HanShu. But HanShu has special value in loanwords study. As Mr ShiCunzhi has ever said that in the West Han Dynasty and the East Han Dynasty there were two kinds of racial contacts on a large scale. One was the war or marriage between Han Dynasty and Hun. The other was the result of diplomatic mission of Mr. Zhang Qian that uncovered the mysterious veil of the West Area, which established firmer relationship between the Han Dynasty and the West Area. The two contacts brought in a lot of loanwords and left the earliest record about loanwords for Chinese. And it is HanShu that had recorded the two entire contacts and the headstream of many loanwords. It is the reason why the writer choose the loanwords of HanShu as the study object. The writer read the original text of HanShu and mainly consulted to the comments of Yan Shigu and Wang Xianqian, as well as the ShuoWenJieZi, ErYa, YuPian, Comments on Place-name in the West Area, the Florilegium of Hun's History, Chinese Loanwords by Mr. ShiCunZhi, Language and Culture by Mr. LuoChangpei, and Dialect and Culture by Mr. Zhou Zhenhe and You Rujie. This paper tracks the meaning of loanwords through the sound, or the font, or comparatively testifying each other. From these three angels the paper tries to study the loanwords in HanShu on the derivation and development, relationship between loanword and culture, the value of loanword and in compilation and consummation of the Grand Dictionary of Chinese Language.Through the study on loanwords in HanShu, the writer aims to offer some information to the lexicology history of Chinese and the compilation of dictionary, and also hopes to strengthen the understanding of ancient Chinese.