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A good bilingual dictionary is based on trans-lation from one language to another and thus calls for a good dictionary in the mother tongue. The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary is such a dictionary, having been well received by a wide range of readers since its publication. With an overall distribution exceeding 40 million copies, its social influence can hardly be overestimated. The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary is characterized by its well-designed goals, impeccable format, felicitous selection of entries, ac-curate definitions, and concise examples. By organizing thetranslation of'' this dictionary into English and publishing it in a bilingual format, Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press has made an originative contribution to the publication of Chinese-English dictionaries in China.

The Con-temporary Chinese Dictionary has been compiled at the request of the State Council to promote the popularization of standard Chinese. It serves as the standard dictionary of contemporary Chi-nese language usage. Standardization of a vocabulary cannot be achieved through administrative orders. Instead, the compilation of high-quality dictionaries on the basis of scientific research is an important means to reach this goal. In the instance of Chinese dictionaries, the lexicographers must obtain first-hand data on contemporary Chinese usage and organize it within the framework of advanced linguistic theories. The late linguists Lū Shuxiang and Ding Shengshu initiated the work on The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary, which has been carried on by a team of'' first-class lexicographers over many years. Their efforts are embodied in the more than one million in-dex cards of data, and their intensive intellectual processing of'' the plethora of data eventually ma -terialized in The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary, which was the first and still remains the best of its kind. Their diligence stands in sharp contrast with certain current practices that churn out dictionaries of poor quality or even plagiarize the work of others.

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根据一个母本翻译的双解词典首先要有一个好的母本,《现代汉语词典》是一部高质量的好词典,问世以来受到广大读者的欢迎,已经发行近4,000万册,产生了很大的社会影响。它的特点是宗旨明确、体例严密、收词精当、注释准确、举例简练。现在外研社组织人力将它译成英文,出版汉英双语版,这是我国汉英类词典出版业的一件大事。

《现汉》是在国务院的指示下,遵照'推广普通话,促进汉语规范化'宗旨而编写的,它是一部现代汉语的规范词典。词语的规范化一般不能用行政命令的方式来实现,编纂高质量的词典是实现词语规范化的重要途径。高质量的词典编纂需要建立在科学研究的基础上,编纂者必须从现代汉语的语言事实出发,掌握第一手的资料,并且运用先进的语言学理论为指导。在前辈语言学大师吕叔湘先生、丁声树先生的主持下,一支一流的词典编纂队伍长期坚持工作,收集资料卡片上百万张,加上全面、认真的分析和综合,工作的繁杂和辛苦是难以想象的。辛勤的耕耘才换来丰硕的成果,这和当今许多词典粗制滥造、拼拼凑凑、甚至抄袭剽窃的做法形成何等鲜明的对照！

随着改革开放和现代化建设的进展,我国的社会生活正在发生着内容极为丰富的变化,这种变化必然要反映到语言中来,而且首先反映在词汇中,新词新义层出不穷。这次汉英双解本采用的是《现汉》最新的2002年增补本,这个版本在1996年修订本的基础上增收了近年来产生的新词新义1200余条,基本上反映了现代汉语词汇的发展变化。词典的编纂和修订总是跟不上语言的发展变化,这是不足为奇的。语言工作者整理现代汉语的词汇,编纂和修订的工作任何时候不能一劳永逸。作为一本规范词典,不是所有的新词新义都要收录,因为有些新出现的词语时髦一时,不久就被淘汰,这样的情形并不少见。《现汉》在吸收新词新义方面采取的是既积极又慎重的方针,有利于现代汉语词汇的丰富和规范。

我国和国外已经编纂出版的双语词典有不少是以《现汉》为蓝本的,例如享有盛誉的《汉英词典》就是其中之一。现在十数位优秀的翻译家用英语将《现汉》原原本本地对译过来,这将进一步增强使用者对汉语词语的理解,提高汉语的使用水平。我相信,正在学习英语的中国人、翻译工作者、从事中英文信息处理和语言工程的人、以及从事对外汉语教学的老师和学习汉语的外国学生,都能从这个双解本中获得益处。作为《现汉》的第一个双解本,其中难免会有不少错误和疏漏,这就要靠以后不断的修订来加以完善了。