The First Series of Standardized Forms of Words with Non-standardized Variant Forms

Content

Most of the decisions reached about the recommended standard forms for each word were reached based in part on statistical analysis of the usage of the variant written forms in the People's Daily during the period 1995–2000. Dictionaries consulted in the decision-making process included Xiandai Hanyu Cidian, Hanyu Da Cidian, Cihai, Xinhua Cidian and Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Zidian. Based on the evaluation of the committee, a decision was made concerning which form would be recommended to be considered as the standard form and which form(s) would be labelled as a variant form. A book was published detailing the rationales behind the decisions of the committee.

For example, the Chinese word written and pronounced as bǐngchéng in Mandarin Pinyin (meaning: to receive an order) can be written as either (1) 秉承 or (2) 稟承 / 禀承 (where both alternatives are as written as bǐngchéng and have the same meaning). In The First Series of Standardized Forms of Words with Non-standardized Variant Forms, the first form (秉承) was recommended to be the standard form, and the second form (禀承) was designated as a variant form. The committee chose the first form (秉承) as the recommended standard form because Xiandai Hanyu Cidian and Xinhua Cidian recommended the first form (秉承) and because this form had been used 104 times in the People's Daily between 1995 and 2000. This decision was reached despite the fact that the second form (禀承) was recommended by Cihai and the committee explicitly stated that the second form was probably the more linguistically appropriate alternative based on analysis of the usage and definition of the relevant characters as found in Shuowen, Guangya, and Zuozhuan. The second form (禀承) was determined to have fallen out of popular usage in a modern context- it had been used only three times in the People's Daily between 1995 and 2000.