Page:Essays on the Chinese Language (1889).djvu/78

64 Contemporary with Wang An-shi and his disciple in philosophy but not in politics was Luh T'ien (陸佃) al. Nung-shi (農師) of Shao-hsing Foo in Chekiang (born 1042, died 1102). Luh T‘ien devoted his studies largely to the "Urh-ya," and produced a treatise to which he gave the name "Urh-ya Hsin-i" (爾雅新義), New Meanings of the "Urh-ya." This book has received great praise for the careful and thorough manner in which the author treats his subject. He compiled also the "P‘i-ya" (埤雅), a work which he designed to be a sort of supplement to the "Urh-ya," giving the names for common objects. Dr. Legge says that in the "P‘i-ya," Luh is "less careful in describing the appearance of his subjects than in discussing the meaning of their names." The "Shuo-wên" also attracted Luh's attention, and he assisted in the preparation of a new and revised edition of that dictionary.

Another contemporary of Wang An-shi and one of his greatest opponents was the historian Ssŭ-ma-kuang (born 1019, died 1086). This latter also devoted much of his leisure to the study and cultivation of the language. His contribution to the "Chi-yun" has been already mentioned. As companion and supplement to that work Ting Tu suggested and began a treatise, to which when finished the name "Lei-pien" (類篇) was given. This work had to pass through several hands before it was finished and published by Ssŭ-ma-kuang, whose name alone it bears. The "Lei-pien" is a dictionary in which, as in the "Shuo-wên," on which it is founded, the characters are arranged according to classifiers. Of these there are 544 and the number of distinct characters analysed and explained is 31,319. The treatise is in 49 chapters, and thirty years (1038 to 1068) passed while it was being elaborated. To Ssŭ-ma-kuang we owe also the "Ming-yuan" (名苑). In this Garden of Names the author, taking the "Chi-yun" as basis, arranged a large number of characters according to their tones, giving also their composition according to the "Shuo-wên," and adding definitions and illustrations from the classical authors. Another help which