A systematic synthesis and analysis of English-language Shuōwén scholarship

Melissa Xiaohui Qin ()
Additional contact information
Melissa Xiaohui Qin: University of Science and Technology Beijing

Palgrave Communications, 2024, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract This study documents the past and present of English scholarship of Shuōwén jiězì, the most important masterpiece of classical Chinese philology and lexicography. In an attempt to investigate the current status (synchronically) and developmental trajectory (diachronically) of Shuōwén scholarship, this study surveyed the bibliographical, theoretical, methodological and thematic state of Shuōwén literature manifested in an analytical framework of six parameters (geographic distribution, publication outlets, citations, theoretical approaches, research methods and research strands) by adopting a thorough bibliometric analysis subsequent to meticulous coding in terms of these six parameters in Shuōwén scholarship. The results showed that Shuōwén scholarship has displayed distinctive distribution patterns and chronological trends along bibliographical, theoretical, methodological and thematic dimensions. Synchronically, the research output is regionally based, thematically restricted and qualitatively examined; diachronically, the research quality is fluctuating, though research quantity multiplies steadily. To look ahead, the study sketched a few directions for advancement of future research agendas: a more global profile of researchers, a larger degree of internationalization of the native circle, a wider disciplinary range, and increased specialization streamlined into data-driven approach to core issues of liùshū, bùshǒu and GPS (graphic-phonetic-semantic) of head graphs. The study is useful in portraying an overarching disciplinary landscape for Shuōwén research and providing the basic reference statistics for possible comparisons across classical Chinese studies and for more general conclusions about the state of scholarship on sinology.

Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-024-03080-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03080-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/palcomms/about

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03080-8

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Palgrave Communications from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().