The development of writing in Northern China in the 10th – 19th centuries through the prism of the "Complete Manchu-Russian Dictionary" by I.I. Zakharov
In: Voprosy istorii: VI = Studies in history, Band 2024, Heft 2, S. 196-207
The study of the Chinese writing is one of the main tasks of Russian Sinology. Since the beginning of 18th century, Russian Sinologists have begun to study of the Manchurian language. Being a representative research work in this field, the Complete Manchurian-Russian Dictionary by I.I. Zakharov is a valuable and indispensable reference book for studying the Manchurian language in the modern scientific community. In the preface to the dictionary, Zakharov analyzed the stages of development and evolution of Khitan, Jurchen, Mongolian and Manchu writing created by ethnic minorities in northern China since the 10th century, which reveal the true face of Chinese society of that era in linguistic and cultural terms.