RESEARCH EXPLAINED
Research by Ling-Wei Kung
The question behind the research
A dictionary can do more than translate words. It can train officials, standardise names, and supply document formats. This entry follows such tools across courts, markets, frontiers, and language schools to explain how multilingual reference works supported everyday governance.
What to look for in the article
This entry reinterprets polyglot lexicography from the Yuan and Ming through the Qing as part of the infrastructure of multilingual governance. It traces changes from phonetic transcription and semantic pairing to state curricula, documentary templates, and Manchu-centred imperial compilations. Alongside official works such as the Huayi yiyu, Qing wen jian, and Xiyu tongwen zhi, it examines commercial manuals and Joseon language textbooks. The article argues that courts, frontiers, markets, and foreign schools jointly produced tools that made multilingual administration possible. Citation year: 2026; first published online: 25 December 2025.
Read the research
This introduction is based on the article below; consult the full text for its evidence and qualifications.
Kung, Ling-Wei. “Polyglot Lexicons and Encyclopedic Works in Late Imperial China.” Encyclopedia 6, no. 1, article 5 (2026): 1–11.