Research On Qinding Qingyu Collected In The Palace Museum

Qinding Qingyu(Emperor-Approved Qing National Language),and han i toktobuha manju gisun in Manchu,is collected in the library of the Palace Museum.It’s a two-volume dictionary compiled by category in both Manchu and Chinese,completed during the period when Emperor Qianlong popularized Qinding Xin Qingyu.Qinding means being approved by the Emperor;Qingyu refers to Manchu,the national language of Qing dynasty;Xin(new)refers to the Manchu after getting the approval of the emperor,to be differentiated from the Manchu before standardization.The dictionary has 168 pages,including 2125 entries.It’s a small dictionary,but it has great value for the research on standardization of Manchu language in Qing dynasty and on dictionary compiling.In the preface,the paper introduced the historical background of compiling the dictionary,summarized the current research on the dictionary,and indicated the significance and method of this research.The main body of the paper has three parts.Part One explores the time when the dictionary was completed.Firstly,it compared the categories and characteristics of the words included in Qinding Qingyu,Yuzhi Qingwen Jian(Emperor-Made Qing National Language Dictionary),and han i araha manju gisun i buleku bithe in Manchu,Yuzhi Zengding Qingwen Jian(Emperor-Made Qing National Language Dictionary <Enlarged Edition>),and han i araha nonggime toktobuha manju gisun i buleku bithe in Manchu.Secondly,it analyzed the records on Qinding Xin Qingyu during the period of Emperor Qianlong in Hei Tu Dang(Archive of Grand Imperial Household Department of Shengjing)and Shengjing Neiwufu Dangan(Archive of Shengjing Imperial Household Department),which are in the collection of Liaoning Provincial Archives.In the end,it analyzes the transformation of the words included in the dictionary to explore its time of completion.Part Two explores the editors of the dictionary: Asiha and Fode.Based on the records and document like Qing Shi Gao(History of Qing Dynasty)and Qinding Baqi Tongzhi(Emperor-Approved Annals of the Eight Banners),Asiha and Fode’s life was introduced,and their purpose of compiling and printing the dictionary was analyzed.Part Three studies the contents of the dictionary.Combing the characteristics of standard Qingyu during the period of Qianlong,the paper summarized the forms of part of the words before and after standardization to show the evolution of Manchu.