Dictionary of Chinese Law and Government

An indispensable tool for anyone studying the institutional life of contemporary China, this is an entirely new dictionary of more than 25,000 Chinese terms, at least 15,000 examples of usage, and more than 30,000 cross-references. The coverage extends from 1939 to 1977, a period of enormous terminological complexity. Often new terms become fashionable, fall into disuse, and then reappear, perhaps in modified form. Again and again old forms take on new meanings, usually in order to expedite the acceptance of new concepts. Since the dictionary covers almost every aspect of every activity dealt with by government in China since 1939, it includes a great many terms of political, historical, and sociological interest, as well as terms related strictly to law and administration. The documents and writings used as sources for this dictionary are almost entirely from Communist China. Most are legal materials, though other materials have also been used, notably special glossaries and newspapers. The Wade-Giles system of transliteration is used, but the volume contains a Chinese Transliteration Conversion Table for easy conversion to Pinyin and other systems, as well as a Radical Index.