Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c8.20

v1.c8.20

As part of the phonological study, as many as five to six *Rhyming Dictionaries* such as the *Collection of Rhyming* (yun-ji) by Lu Jing and the *Brief Account on Rhmying* by Xia Houyong were compiled during the time of Western Jin to Southern and Northern Dynasty (265-589 CE). The Chinese people had then developed the 'fan-qie' method and started using the same in transcribing Chinese characters. Further, it was during this early phase of the Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE), that Lu Fayan, a descendant of an official family, raised and discussed some concrete issues on the transcription of the Chinese characters along with Yan Zhitui (531-?) and eight other scholars of his time. The results of this team work is to be found in the compilation of the five volumes of "qie-yun" under the leadership of Lu Fayan during the reign of the Emperor Wen (personal name Yang Jian) of the Sui Dynasty. This particular work of *Qie Yun*, the rhyming dictionary, then proved to be the most authoritative among various Chinese linguistic works. It may be noted that the two more rhyming dictionaries of much scholarly value such as the 'Tang-yun' of Sun Mian of 8th century of the Tang period and 'Guang-yun' of Chen Fengnian (961~1017 CE) of the Song period were based on the earlier 'Qie-yun' dictionary.