Purpose and surviving edition
The Qingwen Buhui (Supplement to the Manchu Word Compendium) is a Qing lexicographical work organized around Manchu headwords with corresponding Chinese explanations. It was compiled by Yixing to supplement and revise the earlier Qingwen Huishu. The Palace Museum catalogues an eight-volume, eight-book edition printed in 1802, the seventh Jiaqing year. This volume count refers specifically to the documented edition and should not be imposed without examination on every surviving copy.
Place in a lexicographical tradition
The earlier Qingwen Huishu, compiled by Li Yanji, drew on reference works including the imperially commissioned Qingwen Jian and used the order of Manchu letters to organize entries. Qingwen Buhui continued this editorial project by adding and correcting lexical material. Comparing the two books allows researchers to observe differences in vocabulary selection, glosses, and the written or Chinese-transcribed representation of Manchu terms, reflecting the continued importance of accurate translation and literary usage in Qing official culture.
Relation to later dictionaries
The Qingwen Buhui also forms part of the editorial background of the later Qingwen Zonghui. Nevertheless, the three titles identify distinct works with different compilers, dates, and numbers of volumes. A glossary entry reflects a dictionary's date of compilation and normative editorial choices; it should not be taken as a complete transcript of spoken Manchu in every region or as proof that the same explanation necessarily applied in the earliest Qing period.
Sources and Bibliography
Links reproduce references supplied with the Chinese editorial manuscript; they do not establish that every individual statement has undergone independent archival verification.
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