What is the best-selling book in the world?. According to the Guinness World Records, the Xinhua Dictionary, published by the Commercial Press in China, is the world's most popular dictionary and the best-selling book.
In 1950, Chinese language experts, Wei Jiangong and Ye Shengtao, started to edit (编辑) the Xinhua Dictionary. There was a lot of discussion, research and paper work. Some hand scripts(稿件)were checked again and again like compositions, People's Daily reported.
In 1953, the first Xinhua Dictionary came out. Today, 567 million copies of the dictionary have been sold around the world.
However, revisions ( 修 订 )to the dictionary continue to be made. According to Yu Guilin from Commercial Press, editors usually summarize the meaning of words again while revising. . To give a correct explanation of the word"煽油 (deep condition)", one editor went to a barber shop to experience it for himself, Yu told the Beijing Times.
To keep up with the times, some popular and widely used Internet words are also added to the dictionary. For example, in the 11th edition, the phrases"晒工资 (show off salary)"and 晒图"(show off pictures)"were included.
The Xinhua Dictionary is not only a useful tool for generations of Chinese people. It also helps foreigners who are learning the Chinese language and culture.
A. All these efforts create the "National Dictionary" of China. B. Is it the Harry Potter series or Secret Garden? C. So far, the Xinhua Dictionary has been revised 11 times. D. Do you like to use dictionaries? E. If the example sentences are out of date, editors (编辑) need to have experiences and make new examples. F. Many people's hard work and interesting stories went into making the dictionary. |
