Liu Xi "explanation" Exegetical Study

Liu Xi' s Shi ming (《释名》) in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 -220) is a founding work fo studying Chinese etymology. When it was first published, it got both praise and censure. From a exegetical perspective, this paper makes a careful inspection on this work, aiming at providing certain references for objectively commenting on it.Based on the actuality of Shi ni/'ng (《释名》), this paper classifies the exegetical rules into sound exegesis and non - sound exegesis, in addition, it discusses the specific circumstances these two major rules. At the same time, through examination, this paper holds that, in exegesis, Shiming (《释名》) adopts various approaches such as "inquiring deeply into slamgs and common sayings", "quoting chassics as exegesis", "dialects as references", "linking up the beginning and the end", "mutual references", etc. Futhermore, in order to show the inheriting relation between the exegesis of SAi mmg (《释名》) and the annotation of other classics, this paper tentatively traces the origin of its exegesis in the two levels of the source of meaning boundary and the basis of origin tracing. Finally , this paper gives a simple comment on the values and inadequacies of the exegesis of this work.In a word, merits and demerits interweave in Shi ming (《释名》). We should discard the dross and select the essential, so as to serve the contemporary studies of Chinese etymology better.