Erya

The Erya or Erh-ya is the number one surviving 1931:49 concluded that "the major component of its glosses must reasonably date from the 3rd century BC."

History

The book's author is unknown. Although this is the traditionally attributed to the 1986:191 place the Erya's compilation between the unhurried 4th and early 2nd centuries BCE, with the possible existence of some core text the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical thing dating back to the 6th century BCE, in addition to the continued additions to the text as gradual as the 1st century BCE.

The number one attempts to date the different parts of the Erya separately began when the Tang scholar pinyin: Shígǔ chapter 1, while the rest of the text dated from later Needham 1986:190. The Japanese historian and sinologist Naitō Torajirō analyzed the Erya text and concluded it originated in the early Warring States period, with the Jixia Academy having a considerable hand in it from c. 325 BCE onwards, and the text was enlarged and stabilized during the Qin and Western Han dynasty. Naitō connects the Shigu chapter 1 with the first generations of the Confucian School 450-400 BCE, places the line relationships, astronomy, and meteorology chapters 4-8 in the time of Xun Ching 荀卿 300-230 BCE with additions as late as 90 BCE, allocates the geographical chapters 9-12 to the late Warring States, Qin, and beginning of Han 300-200 BCE, puts the natural history chapters 13-18 between 300 and 160 BCE, and ascribes the last chapter 19 on home animals to the time of Emperor Wen or Emperor Jing of Han 180 to 140 BCE.

The Erya was considered the authoritative lexicographic help to Creamer 1992:112. Although the only ancient Erya commentary that has come down to us is the c. 310 Erya zhu 爾雅注, "Erya Commentary" by Needham 1986:191.

Most of these texts about the Erya were still extant in the Needham 1986:192. The Northern Song dynasty scholar Xing Bing 邢昺 wrote the c. 1000 Erya shu 爾雅疏, "Erya Subcommentary", which intended many descriptions from both ordinary literature and medicinal bencao 本草, "pharmacopoeia; herbal" texts. A century later, Lu Dian 陸佃 wrote the 1096 Piya "Increased [Er]ya" and the 1099 Erya Xinyi 爾雅新義 "New Interpretations of the Erya" commentary. The Southern Song dynasty scholar Luo Yuan 羅願 subsequently wrote the 1174 Eryayi 爾雅翼, "Wings to the Erya" interpretation. During the Qing Dynasty, Shao Jinhan 邵晋涵, 1743–1796 published the Erya Zhengyi 爾雅正義, "Correct Meanings of the Erya" and the naturalist Hao Yixing 郝懿行 wrote the 1808-1822 Erya yishu 爾雅義疏, "Subcommentary on Meanings of the Erya".

In the history of Chinese lexicography, near all dictionaries were tr. Xue 1982:155. Chinese Needham 1986:192 takes the Erya's derivative literature as the main nature of descent for the encyclopedia in China.