Cool, thanks! I’m thinking of ordering some of the Sino-Platonic papers. Do you know when Dr. Mair will return?
K
I will look for my old notes and begin new ones. As a side note, I hope I can be working on a dictionary or something when I’m in my nineties! Fairbank apparently just finished his China: A New History right before he went around 92 or something. Maybe just anecdotal or maybe Chinese is good exercise for your brain.
I just looked at my Amazon review (Feb 27) and it seems that I said there that the print was a little small. And yet in this thread I’ve said it was ok. Hmm. I guess I’ve gotten used to it. Sure bigger print would be great as long as they don’t have to cut anything.
The mainland edition may be out already. (I’m waiting for the OP’s reply)
chinese-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2923
DB, thanks to your Amazon review I bought the book.
Single sort is certainly much faster than radical sort, but I was thinking of single sort vs pinyin sort where I don’t think the difference is as big, though single sort is faster. Of course, in my experience, most educated Taiwanese rarely use a dictionary and aren’t very good with the radical sort method anyway. I only use radical sorted dictionaries to check on things I can’t find elsewhere because I’m too lazy 
Cool, thanks! Every time each of us helps improve it, it makes it a better tool for everyone else. In addition to making note of individual entries which are missing or erroneous, I’ve chosen particular topics like dinosaur names, important kinds of pottery and kilns, and missing historical personages, calligraphers, artists, and so on, then tried to find comprehensive lists to cross-check against the ABCC’s contents. This way, the contents are more comprehensive, less hit and miss. Hopefully others will do the same with whatever areas of special knowledge or interest you have.
[quote] As a side note, I hope I can be working on a dictionary or something when I’m in my nineties! Fairbank apparently just finished his China: A New History right before he went around 92 or something. Maybe just anecdotal or maybe Chinese is good exercise for your brain.[/quote] No shit! My hat goes off to DeFrancis! What is he, 93? I’m working on a dictionary now, but I sure hope it’s done before my nineties!!!
[quote] I just looked at my Amazon review (Feb 27) and it seems that I said there that the print was a little small. And yet in this thread I’ve said it was ok. Hmm. I guess I’ve gotten used to it. Sure bigger print would be great as long as they don’t have to cut anything. [/quote] I’m sure they won’t cut anything; that runs against the entire purpose of the “Comprehensive”. Feel free to email them on the print size (and margins, if you agree with me). After all, it is really already too physically large to be anything but a desk reference, and it is physically smaller than most good desk reference dictionaries like the American Heritage, Websters, etc.
How is it different? Just a less expensive (and lower quality) printing? Given that the list of dynasties in the ABC and ABCC have the ROC incorrectly ending in 1949, I thought these already were mainland editions! 
Glad to be of help. Or, as DuPonceau put it, “I rejoice in the opportunity which it gives me of expressing to you the sentiments of sincere respect and esteem with which I am, dear Sir, Your most obedient, humble servant.” Don’t know why I get such a kick out of that.
Yeah, me too, except that I look up so many obsolete characters on a daily basis that I have no choice but to use stroke count (for OB, oracle bones) and and bushou lookup (for li4ding4 versions). I am hoping, in vain I’m sure, that the handwriting recognition technology will be applied to ancient characters someday, so I can just scribble OB onscreen and get answers! :loco:
Remember this thread?
Anyway, I have something they definitely need to add to the next edition. About
10,000
each of
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Chinese personages: all emperors (names and titles), famous persons throughout Chinese history in a wide variety of fields (science, literature, technology, art, etc.). They’re way short on this.
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Foreign personages: from Gilgamesh, King Tut, Homer, and Solon on through Mel Gibson and Maria Carey – and everyone in between. With context one can often guess, but not always.
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Foreign place names: not just countries and capitals but regions, states, provinces, and thousands of cities, and alternate names (eg the state of Connecticut (in the USA) has different names in Taiwan and China). Also, ancient place names (eg Phoenicia, Babylon, et al).
The large E-C from 東華書局(台灣)/上海譯文(中國) has lot of this stuff, though not the numbers I have suggested.
I have this dictionary, and absolutely love it. It’s far too big to carry around, but works great as a desk reference. For lugging around, I have the smaller Oxford Chinese Dictionary. What’s really cool is that the new edition comes with a CD-Rom edition if you buy the hardback.
In response to the posters who mentioned the PDA version, it’s nowhere near as large as the ABC Comprehensive. I’m not knocking the PDA one as I use it all the time and love it, especially for its character input function, but the word base is quite small.
[quote=“Mianbao”]In response to the posters who mentioned the PDA version, it’s nowhere near as large as the ABC Comprehensive. I’m not knocking the PDA one as I use it all the time and love it, especially for its character input function, but the word base is quite small.[/quote]You have the new Plecodict software? You know there are different options with that, right? Are you sure it’s not the Plecodict with just the Oxford dictionary data?
(If it’s the older Pleco software you have then it’s definitely the Oxford dictionary data inside.)
I have the older version, bought it a few years ago and have updated it regularly, but not the newest Plecodict. Sorry, misread the post.
here’s info on the older pocket vsn, and Wenlin
lechinois.com/toolsbox/dicti … ryabc.html
here’s more info on the series & plans:
http://www.chinesestudies.hawaii.edu/abc/
[quote]here’s more info on the series & plans:
chinesestudies.Hawaii.edu/abc/[/quote]
Great job DB!
As for your GROUP 2, in China�s 新華字典, #49 and # 52 are listed as having the definitions you give. Haven�t checked many others. Surprised ABCC didn�t have this, but that�s why I never consult it for characters.
I have read through your PDF quickly, but I would like to make three suggestions about your suggestions, if you don�t mind.
-
As for your D. I. II. and III., earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain as well 陶 and 瓷 have specialized meanings � for specialists. The average Joe or Jane in either English or Chinese doesn�t really know what these are and so while I very much welcome the added precision, I hope it will be added; that is the generic terms hopefully can remain for the rest of us.
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OTHER, 109: no, in fact 的士 is so pronounced throughout China, including the North [Edit: though 迪士 is quite common (same pronunciation)]. I have double checked this (aside from my ears) both with a search of Baidu and my friend Lucy from 山東 (who is bored to death watching me read a PDF about a dictionary).
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OTHER, 121: is Taiwan not also 戴
綠
帽子？And AFAIK it is just one’s wife is having an affair which is a different matter from a cuckolded husband (though m-w.com does not agree with me I have always known cuckold to mean a guy whose wife is having an affair and he doesn’t seem to care, and in fact there is genre of porn in this regard, but I digress).
You might also want to let them know about this thread
Seems someone hasn’t updated the webpage in a couple of years 
[quote=“Dragonbones”]I’d like to find out how fellow forum folk feel about this fine work (1-4 are for folks who own the new hardcover ABC Comprehensive only). I’ll be forwarding the results to the publisher.
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Is this large and heavy enough that for you it is only a desktop dictionary? (As opposed to being something that you would toss in your bookbag moderately often to take to the park, library, coffee shop etc.)
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Do you feel the print is somewhat too small, and an eyestrain?
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Would you prefer the Chinese characters be enlarged somewhat?
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If you answered yes to the above 3, would you like to see it printed in a larger version with larger type and larger margins?
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Would you buy an electronic dictionary which contained this dictionary’s database in preference to the ones currently available?
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Do you have any other comments or suggestions on this work which you’d like me to pass on to its publisher?[/quote]
I have this one. This tome comes as close to perfection as I’ve ever seen, but it still has its flaws. Here are my answers:
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Yes. It remains at home most of the time due to its size. It’s simply not portable. I wish there were a paperback or electronic version.
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No. It’s fine for me, though it is close to the threshold.
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Not necessary for me.
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Yes! And it would be fantastic if the user could expand and edit the database proper with their own entries. I wish Inventec’s products (e.g. Besta, Dr. Eye) allowed this.
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Publish a version with traditional characters as the default and simplified characters as the alternate. Publish a lighter paperback version. Include English versions of the opening pages. If there isn’t one already available, set up a website where suggestions for new entries could be offered. For example, as comprehensive as it is, it doesn’t contain, say, the word “yinbiaoji” (printer).