REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS 197 



borrowing that it is hardly too much to say that a Japanese dictionary 

 has become almost an essential in the study of the language in its 

 present form.' 



There is truth and exaggeration in this language. It is true that 

 Japan has been a factor in the creation or rather the resurrection of 

 old words : but it is an exaggeration to say that there has been a 

 Japanisation of the modern Chinese vocabulary. The influx of French 

 words during the Norman conquest was considerable but the language 

 was still Anglo-Saxon and maintained its identity. It was in no sense 

 Gallicized. It is a suitable parallel to the present tincture of words 

 from Japan. Chinese remains Chinese and the language is in no sense 

 Japanised. Even most of the words that bear the Japanese complexion, 

 are old Chinese terms. The purely new Japanese creation are very 

 few. Another apt illustration of the case may be found in the expres- 

 sive slang of America. These can be traced largely to old English, as 

 is pointed out by Lowell in that interesting disquisition that forms an 

 introduction to the Bigelow papers. Further it is questionable how 

 far this influx has affected the colloquial. It mostly affects literary 

 compositions. 



Much of the ' difficulty of dictionary makers and translators is to 

 determine the exact value of a word or phrase etymologically. There 

 appears to be a certain inexactitude and indefiniteness attached to 

 Chinese phraseology that is confusing. In Wenli this may arise from 

 dissociation : and until the word is seen in its connection it is hard to 

 define its value. Position and function govern the etymology. The 

 same word may have different values just as in Shakespeare we have, 

 'But me no buts, but,' etc. We shall find that the compilers of this 

 dictionary have experienced these difficulties, without surmounting 

 them in many instances. And students must be prepared to find a 

 good many errors, in this respect, in this dictionary of many excel- 

 lencies. 



Some interesting study in words is suggested by this dictionary 

 as the value of fit) in the phrase £ft fi§| /£§&. This gives quite a new 

 view of ti to the beginner. It is clothed with substance and not a 

 mere ghost of a word. And the same may be noted of f cp under 

 abandon p. 2, underneath p. 950 : about p. 4 and so on. Students will 

 take note of some tricky expression and discern how a little word 

 makes a difference. Chu te hsia is sufficient accommodation : but Chu 

 pu hsia is not only the opposite, but may connote a moral idea as well : 

 but this is not noticed in the book. 



There are some glaring omissions, as well as an insertion of 

 phrases we little expected to find. Jones has the entree into the 

 legations— surely a new idea to the Chinese, is given; but older and 



