MULTILINGUAL MULTISCRIPT PLANT NAME DATABASE

Notes on Chinese names

A study of the most challenging bamboo characters

The following characters have presented challenges because they refer to very specific names which are not part of every day vocabulary. The excellent on-line references mentioned previously have only provided part of the solution to all questions raised. This is a summary.

 

Chi2 ? / Shi4 ? of Chinese weichi (or weishi ?), Japanese kumazasa (perhaps as a synonym), botanical Latin Sasa veitchii (Carrière) Rehder

This is a very common character in Japan but not in China. We only found reference to it in Wang Zongxun et al. 1996 in the technical literature and in "Han yu da ci dian / zhu bian Luo Zhufeng ; Han yu da ci dian bian ji wei yuan hui, Han yu da ci dian bian zuan chu bian zuan. Shangh ci shu chu ban she : Fa xing Shanghai ci shu chu ban she fa xing suo, 1986 - 1994" in the linguistic literature. It is said there to be a synonym of the character below (not in so many words). Perhaps they are the traditional and simplified forms of the same character. In any case it is obvious that the aim of the Chinese taxonomists was to reproduce the sound of the botanical name veitchi(i), a botanical Latin version of the Authority name Veitch... nice theory ... sounds almost to good to be true.

Shi2 ? Traditional form of Chi2 ?

 

The following, which have already been used in the various records, will be explained over the next few months :

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

See also note 1 for a broader view on Chinese names and characters

 

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Date created: 03 / 01 / 2001
Authorised by Prof. Snow Barlow
Last modified: 09 / 01 / 2001
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