ABC Chinese-English Dictionary: Desk Reference Edition

This dictionary, also available in a pocket edition, ushers in a new era in Chinese lexicography. The first strictly alphabetically ordered and Pinyin computerized dictionary, it offers the simplest and quickest way to look up a term whose pronunciation is known. User-friendly radical and stroke indexes are provided for those cases when pronunciation of a term is not known. Each entry provides Chinese characters, part of speech, environment (area and level of usage), definition in English, and, possibly, examples. An innovative typographical format packs more than 71,400 entries into a handy, portable size without any sacrifice of legibility.

• John DeFrancis, Editor

  John DeFrancis (1911- 2009) John DeFrancis (1911–2009), Emeritus Professor of Chinese at the University of Hawai'i, graduated from Yale in 1933 and immediately departed for China to pursue his interests. In three years of study and travel, he covered over 4,000 miles in Northwest China and Mongolia, across the Gobi Desert, and down the Yellow River, immersing himself in grassroots contact with the language and people. Upon his return to the United States, DeFrancis earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He taught at several institutions nationwide. Dr. DeFrancis is the author of dozens of articles and books on spoken and written Chinese, among them a widely used 12-volume set of educational materials and Visible Speech: The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems (UH Press, 1989).