Shi wu yi ming lu ????? [Different List of Things]

Forty parts in 12 vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, new stitching. At the beginning of each part: Cixi: Prefaces dates 1776 & 1788. A valuable and influential dictionary of synonyms and antonyms in the Chinese language. Li ?, a native of Cixi, served as a magistrate in Wangjiang County. Originally published in 39 parts, this edition has the valuable supplement the 40th part by Huai Guan, painter and librarian, who lived in Hangzhou, near Cixi. This is an encyclopedic work, encompassing synonyms and antonyms in all disciplines, including science, politics, history, gastronomy, costumes, technology, books and bibliography, transportation, weaving, military history, agriculture, antiquities, music, religious texts, pharmacology, botany, natural history, etc., etc. Each word is defined, and many include etymology. Fine set, preserved in a hantao. Minor marginal worming in the first volume.