Abstract: This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of dictionary research on the Dongba script of the Naxi people, pointing out that the shortcomings of existing research on D
This article reviews the current state of research on dictionaries of Naxi Dongba pictographic script, aiming to inform future compilation efforts. It surveys major dictionaries, including Yang Zhonghong's unpublished 1933 Dongba-Geba dictionary, Fang Guoyu's authoritative "Naxi Pictographic Script Compendium" (classifying 1,340 headwords with phonetic and semantic glosses), and Li Lincan's 1943 dictionary (2,120 characters in eighteen categories). It also reviews scholarly evaluations by Guo Dalie, Yang Zhengwen, Wang Yuanlu, and Yu Suisheng, who assessed these works' merits and shortcomings. The author identifies four key deficiencies in existing research: inconsistent research emphases (overemphasis on graphic form versus phonology/meaning), lack of unified standards for character inclusion and variant forms, uneven dictionary usage frequency among scholars, and inconsistencies in dictionary content and compilation format. The paper argues these gaps—particularly insufficient systematic study of character-count statistics, variant characters, and definitions—must be addressed to produce a more scientific, comprehensive Dongba script dictionary in the future.
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