Từ Điển Song Ngữ Hán Việt: Chỉ Nam Ngọc Âm Giải Nghĩa

What a comprehensive book rarely found on the topic of translating old Viet lexicon under Nôm characters from classical Chinese words, and vice-versa. Many of the words and terms presented in the book would be very hard to decipher at first glance, and thanks to the book, they become more apparent after reading the book again and again. To students of the Hán Nôm School, this is a very good source of reference, even though some strokes in hand-written Nôm characters would be hard to follow. There are many issues presented in the book that are hitherto not mentioned in any texts available elsewhere. Most importantly, the technique of writing Nôm with single or double phonemes; or the compound consonant [sl] in front of many words that according to Maspero, in a similar vein, have now been split into two words, such as slực, into Nôm sức and Hán-Nôm lực. All in all, the book may evoke curiosity as to what the first local dictionary in Hán-Nôm would look like, as it is mainly written in the form of 6-8 verses (lục bát). I would strongly recommend readers interested in Hán Nôm Học to hav3 this book in their bookshelf. Warren Nguyen (Sydney)