Early China Special Monograph Series No. 4

Chinese Writing

By Qiu Xigui, translated by Gilbert L. Mattos and Jerry Norman


Chinese Writing is a translation of Professor Qiu Xigui's renowned Wenzixue gaiyao 文字學概要, based on the revised edition published in 1994 in Taipei by the Wanjuanlou Tushu Co. Ltd. Recognized as the most authoritative work of its type, Chinese Writing discusses in detail the nature, composition, history, and evolution of Chinese script, drawing upon a wide variety of original source materials from Shang oracle bones to slips of paper from Dunhuang. By providing a comprehensive basis for the analysis of Chinese script, Chinese Writing represents an outstanding contribution not only to the field of Chinese grammatology but to grammatology as a whole. The translation by Gilbert L. Mattos and Jerry Norman represents the first scholarly, systematic study on the subject published in a Western language. The usefulness of Professor Qiu's original work has been enhanced by the addition of new indexes of characters discussed and topics, as well as a classified bibliography of all sources cited in the text.

Chinese Writing can be purchased for $35.00 (plus $2.50 for shipping and handling; California residents, please add 8.25% sales tax) from:

Publications, Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 2223 Fulton Street, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

Click here for an order form

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