Re: xjdic lookup solution

[Dennis McMurchy <denismcm@example.com>]

On Sun, 20 Oct 1996, C. Oda wrote:

> It seems that I get lazier as I get older.  The key combination
> commands for xjdic22 are a bit tedious to remember.  It is
> fine if I'm reading an electronic document and do the cut
> and paste method.  However, if I am reading a magazine
> or newspaper and want to find the reading of a person's
> name from a kanji where I don't know the numerical value
> of the radical, it gets a little mendokusai.  At least, in
> the 30 minutes or so I've played with it, I don't like it.

  Hi,

  I've been playing around a little with xjdic22, which I set up
yesterday on my machine, and I rather like it.  The enamdict dictionary,
as Chris Oda mentioned the other day, is a real asset.  The whole
thing is very intelligently done.

  Anyway, in response to Chris' comment that I quoted above, I would
suggest that any of you who are using this ought to take a look at
the Four-Corner Lookup Method (at least as an alternative to the 
radical system).  It's not mentioned in xjdic22.doc, but is covered
in kanjidic.doc, where Appendix 4 gives a detailed explanation of how
to use it in xjdic22.  

  From time immemorial everyone and their donkey has had a 'better'
idea of how to index Chinese characters, but in the humble opinion of
one who spent years studying Classical Chinese at university and still
uses Chinese and Japanese dictionaries everyday, the radical lookup
system (I mean the 214 radical system devised for the 17th century Kang
Xi dictionary, not the earlier 512 radical system used in the Han
dynasty Shuo Wen dictionary;-) is unbeatable, for all its flaws and
downright irrationalities.  Its main virtues being that it does work, is
not _too_ hard to master, and is a widely-used _standard_ (if only the
Japanese could resist making the trivial and silly little modifications
to it that they always seem to in their dictionaries).  

  Having said that, let me add (if anyone is still reading) that  the
Four Corner System is definitely worth learning too, simply because it
is _so_ easy, and really works remarkably well.  It was first 
developed in 1928 and is widely used in China even today.  Take a look
at it.  One great thing about it is that when you're  stuck for the
radical (happens even to us old-timers), it is an easy alternative that
usually works.  For xjdic22, Qnnnn[.n] will do it.   

Dennis McMurchy, 
Tojinmachi, Fukuoka


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