Chapter X: Words for Hills 10.01 丘，一成为敦丘，再成为陶丘，再成锐上为融丘，三成为昆仑丘。 Hills, one mound is called a dūn (solid) hill; two overlapping hills are called táo (earthen ware) hills; two overlapping hills with a pointed top is called róng (blended) hills; three overlapping hills are called Kūnlún (mountain like) hills. 10.2 如乘者，乘丘。如陼者，陼丘。 If the hillock looks like a vehicle, it is called a vehicle hill; if the hillock looks like a land-bar, it is called a land-bar hill. A copy of “Annotation of the ?ryǎ Dictionary” by Guō Pǔ.
Chapter XI: Words for Mountain 11.01 河南华，河西岳，河东岱，河北恒，江南衡。 Mount Huá is south of the Yellow River, Mount Yuè is west of the Yellow River, Mount Tài is east of the Yellow River, Mount Héng is north of the Yellow River and Mount Héng (衡) is south of the Yangtze River. 11.02 山三袭，陟；再成，英；一成，坯。 A mountain with three overlapping layers is called zhì (soaring); with two is called yīng (outstanding); and one without any overlapping is called pī (a pile of earth). Chapter XII: Words for Water 12.01 泉一见一否为瀸。 A spring is called jiān because the water it gushes out is sometimes on and sometimes out. 12.2 井一有水一无水为瀱汋。 A well with broken water is called jì zhuó. Chapter XIII: Words for Grass 13.1蒮，山韭。 Wild Chinese chives in the mountain are called yù. 13.2茖，山葱 Wild onion in the mountain is called gè. Chapter XIV: Words for Wood 14.01 槄，山榎。 Chinese catalpa on the mountain is called tāo. 14.02 栲，山樗。 An evergreen chinquapin is called kǎo.
“On the Phonetics of Words in the ?ryǎ Dictionary” printed in the Qīng Dynasty.Chapter XV: Words for Worms 15.01 螜，天蝼。 Mole cricket is called hú. 15.02 蜚，蠦蜰。 Cockroach is called lú féi. Chapter XVI: Words for Fish 16.01 鲤。 Carp is called lǐ. 16.02 鱣。 Yellow croaker is called zhān. Chapter XVII: Words for Birds 17.01 隹其，鳺鴀。 A cuckoo is called zhuī qí. 17.02 鶌鸠,鹘鸼。 A ringdove is called jué jiū. Illustrations in the Dictionary.
Chapter XVIII: Words for Beasts 18.01 麋：牡，麔； 牝，麎；其子，（鹿夭）；其迹，躔；绝有力，狄。 Regarding elks, its male is called jiù; its female is called chen; its young baby is called yǎo; its traces are called chán; and their virile type is called dí. 18.02 鹿：牡，麚；牝，麀，其子麛，其迹速，绝有力{鹿幵}。 Regarding deer, its male is called jiā; its female is called yōu; its young baby is called mí; its traces are called sù; and their virile type is called jiān. A street named ?ryǎ. Chapter IXX: Words for Animals 19.01 騊駼，马。 A nice horse in the north is called táo tú. 19.02野马。 Another type of nice horse in the north is called yě mǎ.
The Value of the Eryǎ Dictionary 1. The lexicographical value As “Eryǎ” is the first dictionary passing down from ancient times and is still available, its first value lies in lexicography and its contribution to the development of lexicology. It sets examples of ways of explaining words for later dictionaries, such as explaining a group of words with one word, circular reference, recursive explanation, description and metaphor and so on. It is certainly the forerunner for later dictionaries also bearing the name of “yǎ”, for instance: “The Minor Eryǎ”, “Guǎngyǎ—Expanding the Standard”, “Píyǎ—The Enhanced Standard”, “The Wings of Eryǎ” and so on. 2. It is the Pioneer of China’s exegetics. Much material for studying the Pre- Qín books can be found in “Eryǎ”. It is the very beginning of exegetic regulations, methods and ways of annotation. 3. “Eryǎ” is as a matter of fact a work designated to the explanation of vocabulary in the Pre- Qín classics. There are a great amount of material on synonym and homoionym. It also contains much material on notional words, function words and archaism, which are instrumental to the studies of Pre- Qín grammar and the history of vocabulary studies.
A Statue of Guó Pǔ. 4. The words for relatives, rooms, vessels, music, astronomy, geography, animals and plants the dictionary collected are significant in understanding the society and nature at the time, since they reflect what kind of families, societies were, and the way of living including clothing, food, lodging and travel, and the way of working including sculpture, cutting things, refinery, weaving, textile printing and dyeing, and kinds and categories of grass, wood, worms, fish, birds and animals.
Studies of “Eryǎ” Studies of “Eryǎ” began from the Western Hàn period, but very little material from that period has been left. The earliest, most complete and still existing work is “Annotation of Eryǎ (尔雅注)” by Guō Pú (郭璞 276-324) of the Jìn Dynasty. Guō not only described the system of the dictionary, he also gave connotations of words, marked pronunciations of words, distinguished “contemporary” words from ancient words and archaism. When it came to the Táng Dynasty, Lù Démíng (陆德明 550-630) wrote “Interpretation of Classics, Phonetics and Semantics of Eryǎ”, which is the second major work in the studies. In the Sòng Dynasty, the studies by Lù Diàn (陆佃), Xíng Bǐng (邢昺)and Zhèng Qiáo (郑樵) are most influential.
There are quite a number of works on “Eryǎ” in the Qīng Dynasty, among them “The Correct Connotation in Eryǎ” (尔雅正义) by Shào Pǔhán (邵晋涵 1743-1796), “Semantic Connotation in Eryǎ” (尔雅义疏) by Hǎo Yìxíng (郝懿行 1757-1825), “Review of the Vocabulary in Eryǎ”[ 〈尔雅〉文字考] by Dài Zhèn (戴震 1724-1777) and “Examples of Explanation in the Sections of Grass, Wood, Worms, Fish, Birds and Animals in Eryǎ” (尔雅草木虫鱼鸟兽名释例) by Wáng Guówéi (王国维 1877-1927).
Contrary to the expectation of most people, contemporary studies of “Eryǎ” have been active and fruitful. Most notably, “Giving Notes to Eryǎ Today” (尔雅今注) by Xú Zhāohuá (徐朝华) is the first effort in using vernacular writing to explain the text. “Proof-Reading and Notes to Eryǎ” (尔雅校笺) by Zhōu Zǔmó (周祖谟) gave commas and full stops to the text and compared the version found in the Dūnhuáng Caves. There are at least 20 titles that are worth of reading for those who wish to know more about the results of the studies. One thing in common for the new titles is that new approaches and angles are being employed and renewed interests in the classic would open a new ways of inheriting the wisdom of ancestors of the Chinese people.
