Wang Yinzhi 王引之

Wang Yinzhi 王引之 (1766-1834), courtesy name Boshen 伯申, style Manqing 曼卿, from Gaoyou 高郵, Jiangsu, was a scholar of the high Qing period 清 (1644-1911). His posthumous title is Wenjian 王文簡公.

He was the son of the philosopher Wang Niansun 王念孫 (1744-1832). Having obtained the jinshi degree in 1799, he crowned his career with the posts of Left Vice Minister of Rites (libu zuo shilang 禮部左侍郎) and then Minister of Works (gongbu shangshu 工部尚書). Wang Yinzhi participated in the compilation of the Cilin diangu 詞林典故, a compendium on the organisation of the Hanlin Academy 翰林院, and was a member of the Veritable Records Institute (shiluguan 實錄館) and vice chief editor of the Historiography Institute (guoshiguan fu zongcai 國史館副總裁). Wang compiled critical annotations to errors in the dictionary Kangxi zidian 康熙字典.

With his father as a teacher, Wang Yinzhi analysed questions of phonology and semantics in the study of the ancient Classics. He made great contributions to the field of linguistics. The most important work of his in Jingyi shuwen 經義述聞, which was based on instructions by his father. His own product is Jingzhuan shici 經傳釋詞, which focuses on functional words (xuzi 虛字) of Classical Chinese in the Classics and other texts from the pre- and early imperial age. It helps to clarify expressions not dealt with in the ancient glossaries and dictionaries Erya 爾雅, Shuowen jiezi 說文解字 or Fangyan 方言. Unfortunately enough, his research did not cover writings from the Later Han period, which makes his scholarship on Classical Chinese incomplete. Other critics say his analysis of 160 words did not cover all functional lexemes. Sun Jingshi 孫經世 (1783-1832) compiled two supplements, Jingzhuan shici bu 經傳釋詞補, and Jingzhuan shici zaibu 經傳釋詞再補, both published as Jingzhuan shici xubian 經傳釋詞續編. Wu Changying 吳昌瑩 added the text Jingci yanshi 經詞衍釋 (1877).

Other writings of Wang Yinzhi are Dasui kao 太歲考, Chunqiu mingzi jiegu 春秋名字解詁, Zidian kaozheng 字典考證 and Zhou-Qin guzi jiegu 周秦古字解詁. His collected writings are Wang Jianwengong wenji 王文簡公文集.