Mathews' Chinese–English Dictionary

Mathews' Chinese-English Dictionary is a comprehensive language reference work published by the China Inland Mission in the early 20th century. The 1,250-page first edition contains 7,783 Chinese character entries and 104,000 words and phrases from classical texts, literature, and media. Robert Henry Mathews, an Australian missionary and printer, created this work while stationed at the China Inland Mission headquarters in Shanghai. The dictionary uses modified Wade-Giles romanization and arranges entries alphabetically by syllabic order. Harvard University Press released a revised American edition during World War II to address the shortage of Chinese-English dictionaries. This updated version incorporated 15,000 corrections, revisions, and additional examples. The dictionary represents a significant contribution to Chinese language study and served as the standard Chinese-English reference text for several decades. Its structure and comprehensive scope established a model for future bilingual Chinese dictionaries.

Users consistently describe Mathews' dictionary as serviceable but dated. Most reviews come from language students and scholars who used it before modern electronic dictionaries became standard. Readers appreciate: - Clear organization by radical system - Detailed character composition explanations - Inclusion of literary and classical meanings - Durable binding that holds up to frequent use Common criticisms: - Outdated vocabulary from 1930s - Missing many modern terms and simplified characters - Index system takes time to learn - Heavy and bulky for portable use Average ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (27 ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (12 reviews) Several readers noted using it as a backup reference alongside newer dictionaries. One reviewer called it "reliable but showing its age." Multiple users mentioned it served them well in pre-internet studies but has been superseded by digital tools.

A Chinese-English Dictionary by Herbert Giles This pioneering Chinese-English dictionary contains 13,848 characters and established the Wade-Giles romanization system used in Mathews' later work.

Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary by John DeFrancis The dictionary contains 196,000 entries organized by Pinyin romanization with traditional and simplified characters for modern language learners.

ABC Chinese-English Dictionary by DeFrancis, John This reference work organizes 71,486 entries by a unique alphabetic system that allows users to find characters without knowing their pronunciation or radical.

Far East Chinese-English Dictionary by Liang Shiqiu The dictionary provides 120,000 entries using traditional characters and multiple romanization systems for comprehensive language reference.

A New Chinese-English Dictionary by Wu Jingrong This reference work contains 60,000 entries in simplified characters with contemporary vocabulary and usage examples from modern Chinese.

🈶 The 1943 Harvard edition required special wartime permission from the US government to print Chinese characters, as the metal type had to be imported from China during WWII 🈯 Despite having no formal training in Chinese linguistics, Mathews developed his dictionary while working as a Christian missionary in China for over 30 years 📚 The dictionary introduced innovative cross-referencing between traditional and simplified characters, helping readers navigate both writing systems 🈲 Each entry includes the character's pronunciation in Cantonese and multiple Chinese dialects, making it uniquely valuable for comparative language studies 🉐 The dictionary's influence was so significant that "Mathews' number" (the reference number assigned to each character) became a standard way to identify Chinese characters in Western academic works through the 1970s