Xu Shen (c. 58-148 CE) was a Chinese calligrapher, philologist and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty, born in Henan, remembered as the compiler of the Shuowen Jiezi, described as the first comprehensive dictionary of Chinese characters and the first to organize its entries by radical. His dictionary examined the evolution of characters, organized more than 9,000 entries under 540 semantically grouped radicals in small seal script, and formalized the six-category approach to analyzing how Chinese characters were formed. He stated that his purpose was to establish defined categories and correct mistaken concepts for the benefit of scholars and the true interpretation of the spirit of language, and the Shuowen Jiezi remains foundational to Chinese lexicography today.
Facts
Partially Attested
Birth YearSource states an approximate year: "born about 58 CE"; exact year is uncertain. RoleChinese calligrapher, philologist, politician, and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty 1 Classification
NationalityHan Dynasty (Historical) 1 Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Xu Shen
Life section
Xu was born about 58 CE in the Zhaoling district of Run'an prefecture (modern Luohe in Henan).
Infobox
148 CE (aged 89 or 90)
Lead section
Chinese calligrapher, philologist, politician, and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty
Nationality, Xu Shen entity page
Xu Shen (c. 58-148 CE) was a Chinese calligrapher, philologist and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty, born in Henan, remembered as the compiler of the Shuowen Jiezi, described as the first comprehensive dictionary of Chinese characters and the first to organize its entries by radical.
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