Episode 2 of 2

Publication

When: 1716
Where: Unspecified
Part of: Publication of the Kangxi Dictionary

The Kangxi Dictionary was published in 1716, becoming the most authoritative reference for written Chinese characters until the early 20th century.

The dictionary was released in 1716 during the High Qing period. The emperor wrote a preface for the printing and chose the term 'zidian' to denote a standard of correct character forms.

Sources

Kangxi Dictionary Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-26

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.