Introduction to the "Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants"

    The history of Chinese characters is long and profound. Apart from their inherent evolution, the visual forms of characters have undergone processes of copying, engraving, printing, and interpretation throughout their transmission, inevitably leading to complex and diverse phenomena. To facilitate Chinese language teaching, written communication, and information development, the Ministry of Education has taken the initiative to simplify the complexity by establishing 'standard characters' as a benchmark for character usage. Subsequently, to preserve the historical aspects of written language, efforts have been made to systematically organize the forms of characters found in ancient and contemporary dictionaries and documents. By connecting these standard characters with other variant forms that share the same pronunciation and meaning, a comprehensive dictionary of Chinese character forms has been compiled, known as the 'Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants.'

    This dictionary's compilation began in the year 1995. It followed the guidelines of the Ministry of Education's standard character list (commonly used, less commonly used, and rarely used characters) and consolidated the variant character forms found in 62 ancient and contemporary dictionaries and documents. The compilation was completed in 2001 and was published for public use, with subsequent updates and revisions. The dictionary includes over 100,000 character forms, and each standard character, serving as a guideline, generally contains the following information:

1. The form, pronunciation, and meaning of the standard character.
2. Historical forms of the standard character in ancient and contemporary documents.
3. Variant character forms corresponding to the standard character throughout different historical periods.
4. Key source documents for the basis of the variant character forms.
5. Expert-authored explanations for the variant character forms.

    Through the provided information, readers can understand the standard character's font, pronunciation, meaning, historical evolution, the context of changes in form, sound, and meaning through different periods, as well as the foundational documents and linguistic principles supporting the variant character forms. Furthermore, this dictionary includes over ten appendices, encompassing examples of variant characters, summaries of radical transformations, and organization of characters used in folk literature. These serve to complement the primary content's coverage of variant character forms. The incorporation of Chinese dialects, Japanese and Korean characters, and avoided characters further enriches the variety of characters included in the book. Additionally, the 'Editing General Report,' which provides details about the editorial process, conventions, and shaping principles, serves as a basis and explanation for the editing philosophy of the dictionary.

    Overall, this dictionary's inclusion of character forms is centered around standard characters, making it comprehensive without being overwhelming. Each variant character form is meticulously traced to its origins and well-documented in terms of its evolution. The historical forms found in documents from different periods provide ample resources for investigating the changes and context of characters. The various appendices supplement and reinforce the content of the main text. Thus, this dictionary not only serves as a practical linguistic tool but also systematically categorizes the relationship between standard and variant character forms, establishes contemporary standards for character appearance, and reinforces the traditional status of standard characters. The extensive character forms included can also serve as a foundation for expanding the encoding of Chinese characters. Hence, it's evident that the impact of this dictionary spans across fields like Chinese character studies, educational culture, and Chinese language information, making it one of the most significant achievements in character organization by the Ministry of Education over the past forty years."