Product Description

This Chinese-English dictionary of proverbs (yanyu) consists of approximately 4,000 Chinese proverbs alphabetically arranged by the first word(s) (ci) of the proverb according to the Hanyu Pinyin transcription and Chinese characters (standard simplified), followed by a literal (and when necessary also a figurative) English translation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #567207 in Books
• Published on:
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .61" h x 6.30" w x 9.26" l, .85 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 268 pages

Review
'Amost affordable repository of highly browsable wisdom.' - Bulletin of SOAS

About the Author
John S. Rohsenow is professor of linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
An incredible collection
By Mark Young
Rohsenow has collected and codified hundreds of proverbs from the Chinese peasant oral tradition in this volume. These proverbs are not Chengyu from the great literary works and are seldom seen in written form. The introduction includes an extremely insightful take on the subtle differences between proverbs, idioms and other devices in Chinese language and how they reflect on the culture as a whole.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful.
The literary soul of China
By Eugene Benoit
Chinese proverbs are in many ways the heart and soul of the Chinese language, and Dr. Rohsenow has done a marvelous job compiling so many of them together in one book. I like it's size, its organization, translations and explanations. I have learned a great deal of Chinese going through page after page of the book. I have also inserted a number of them in my letters to friends in China, and they think I am a genius for knowing such proverbs. Should I tell them the truth??? Actually, I did tell them about the dictionary and will mail them copies. In terms of improvements, I would like to have bigger print and possibly different color print for the Chinese, such as large bold blue print for the characters, to make it easier on the eyes. The English can stay small as is. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of Chinese language and its culture. The Chinese really love their proverbs and knowing them is one step closer to understanding their culture. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
ABA Dictionary of Chinese Proverbs (ABC Chinese Dictionary Series
By Susan Willingham
Having lived in foreign countries it can be very amusing or even awkward to understand the meaning of proverbs in other languages. I am so glad there are people still out there doing this kind of detailed research and allowing people like me to benefit from the expertise and dedication it requires. It is a labor of love and I loved the book. You can't understand someone else if you don't start to learn how they think. It is not a book you may read from cover to cover but it is an interesting slant on understanding another culture and how I can compare it to mine. i highly recommend this even if you don't read it from cover to cover.