| Abstract |
Chinese-Japanese Dictionary and Chinese-Ryukyu Dictionary were both edited during the period of Ming to satisfy the need of the commercial agents in Hueitong kwan for learning Japanese and Ryukyu. The editorial model of the these two works is the same as another eleven Chinese-Foreign Language Dictionaries, according to which the Chinese lexeme are listed, followed by the Chinese characters used as transliteration letters. Such works are sometimes called “Collection of Ji-yu.” This paper aims to compare the Chinese lexeme collected in these two dictionaries and investigate their respective characteristics. The result shows that the edition of Chinese-Japanese Dictionary is more careful than Chinese-Ryukyu Dictionary; however, the latter contains a wealth of vocabulary related to paying tribute to the imperial court. Collected from eight “Collection of Ji-yu” and three other Chinese-Foreign Dictionaries, the lexeme will be classified by frequency into three levels, i.e. A, B and C, and only those included on level A will be considered as the basic vocabulary in Ming Dynasty.
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