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Dieya 疊雅

Feb 27, 2011 © Ulrich Theobald

Dieya 疊雅 "Correct reduplications" or "The [Er]ya on reduplications" is a glossary written during the late Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Shi Menglan 史夢蘭 (1818-1898), courtesy name Xiangya 香崖, 湘崖 or Xiuya 秀崖, style Yannong 硯農. Shi is known as the compiler of several local gazetteers (Leting xian zhi 樂亭縣志, Yongping fu zhi 永平府志), author of several poetry collections and poetry critique (Jinshi gongci 金史宮詞, Yongping shicun 永平詩存, Zhiyuan shihua 止園詩話, Er'er shuwu shicao 爾爾書屋詩草, Quanshi gongci 全史宮詞), and some linguistic studies like the Dieya and the books Yanshuo 燕說, Gujin yan shishi 古今諺拾遺, and Yudi yubian 輿地韻編.

In bibliographies, the Dieya belongs to the category of books of "lesser learning" (Xiaoxue 小學), often translated as "lexicography". According to the preface, the 13-juan long book was finished in 1864.

Shi Menglan collected all kinds of reduplicative words (diezi 疊字) mentioned in a vast amount of traditional books, from the Confucian Classics and the various "masters and philosophers", and to historiographic works. The words in his dictionary are arranged according to the chapter titles used in the glossary Erya 爾雅.

Although some of the words Shi Menglan included in his dictionary are already mentioned in older glossaries, he also added many new ones. Shi Menglan deserves credit for his detailed comments to the lexemes of his book and the diligent philological and text-critical work he had done.

At the end of his book, a chapter on double-character personal names is added (Shuangminglu 雙名錄).

Quotation 1. Examples of the Dieya 疊雅
巖巖(喦喦、嵓嵓、巖巖、礹礹)、峩峩(硪硪、涐涐)、隗隗(阢阢)、漸漸(嶄嶄、磛磛)、[…],高也. Cliff ([also written] A, B, C, D), lofty (E, F), towering (G), summit (H, I), [... all this] means "high".
Explanation of the first lemma 巖巖(喦喦、嵓嵓、巖巖、礹礹):
《詩•小雅》:「維石巖巖」。《毛傳》:「巖巖,積石貌。」《廣雅》:「巖巖,高也,通作喦。」漢張衡《思𢆯賦》:「冠喦喦其映。」蓋《文選•李善註》「喦,五咸切。」 李周翰註:「喦喦,高貌。喦亦作嵓。」漢劉歆《遂初賦》︰「巨石破之嵓」,嵓俗作巖。唐賈餗《仙人掌賦》﹕「勢孤聳於巖巖。」《[太尉]陳球碑》︰「礹礹猶嶽」,巖巖作礹礹。 The "Book of Songs", Lesser Odes (Jie nan shan 節南山), says: "Lofty the masses of rocks." The Commentary of Mao says: "Lofty means piled-up rocks." The glossary Guangya says: "Lofty 巖 his high; commonly written 喦." The rhapsody Sixuan fu of Zhang Heng, Han period, says: "High reaches the splendour of his crown". And Li Shan's commentary on the anthology Wenxuan explains: "喦 read ŋɐm˩ (see fanqie system)". Li Zhouhan's commentary [on the Wenxuan] says: "Lofty 喦 means, high; also written 嵓." Liu Xin's rhapsody Suichu fu, Han period, says: "A mass of huge shattered rocks." 嵓 is commonly written 巖. The rhapsody Xianren zhang fu of Jia Su , Tang period, says: "Emersed over lofty rocks." The inscription of the stele of [Defender-in-chief] Chen Qiu says: "Piled-up rocks constitute a mountain," where 巖 is written 礹.
Beginning of the name list:
勃勃:《十六國春秋》赫連勃勃,劉澗之族也。 Bobo: Helian Bobo in the Shiliuguo chunqiu, a kinsman of Liu Jian.
落落:《五代史•唐莊宗本紀》克用自將擊魏戰於洹水,亡其子落落。 Luoluo: [According] to the annals-biography of Emperor Tang Zhuangzong in the Wudaishi, [Li] Keyong planned to fight Wei at River Huan. He lost his son Luoluo.
Sources:
Chen Rufa 陳汝法 (2010). "Diezi yu Dieya 疊字和《疊雅》", Cishu yanjiu 辭書研究, 2010 (5).
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, ed. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 654.
Wang Huijie 王惠傑 (2013). "Dieya suo shou chongdieshi fuyinci yanjiu 《疊雅》所收重疊式復音詞研究", Qi-Lu Shifan Xueyuan xuebao 齊魯師範學院學報, 2013 (6).
Xiao Huilan 肖惠蘭 (1999). "Dieya de bianzuan tese he xungu zuoyong 《疊雅》的編纂特色和訓詁作用", Hubei Daxue xuebao (Zhexue shehui kexue ban) 湖北大學學報(哲學社會科學版), 1999 (3).
Yao Guowang 姚國旺 (1997). "Dieya 疊雅", in Men Kui 門巋, Zhang Yanjin 張燕瑾, ed. Zhonghua guocui da cidian 中華國粹大辭典 (Xianggang: Guoji wenhua chuban gongsi), 713.
Zhou Zumo 周祖謨 (1988). "Dieya 疊雅", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Yuyan wenzi 語言•文字 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), 55.