Recently, a professor named Qian Yi and his wife, Professor Liu Zhencheng, decided to sue Xinhua Dictionary because they were not satisfied with the explanation of certain words in the Xinhua Dictionary. They listed four words as the reason for the prosecution, which were "play, don't, tired, and widowed". Professor Qian and his wife believe that there are problems with the interpretation of these four words in the Xinhua dictionary, which may bring bad guidance to children, and even some explanations conflict with the actual situation in China. They hope that through the lawsuit, they will prompt the Xinhua dictionary to revise and improve the problems.
The couple first questioned the interpretation of the word "play". The Xinhua dictionary interprets it as "toying", and also forms words like "**sex". Professor Qian and his wife believe that such an explanation is inappropriate in a dictionary and may be misleading to children. They said they couldn't help but feel speechless when their children asked what "sex" meant. They argue that this interpretation is both word-poor and deliberately stimulating, and does not conform to the norms of the Xinhua dictionary.
In addition, they also disputed the interpretation of the word "倭". In the Xinhua dictionary, the explanation of this character is only "called Japan in ancient times". However, many netizens felt that this explanation was too simplistic and ignored the history of the Japanese invasion of China. Some people even questioned whether the editors of the Xinhua dictionary were patriotic and pro-Japanese. Professor Qian and his wife believe that such an explanation is not respectful enough for a country's history and national feelings.
In addition, they questioned the interpretation of the word "other". The Xinhua dictionary interprets it as "a pistol pinned to your waist". Professor Qian and his wife believe that such an explanation is difficult to understand and seems to inadvertently convey the values of Western countries. In their opinion, this does not correspond to the actual situation in China and is worthy of questioning.
The last word is "tired", and Professor Qian and his wife believe that the Xinhua dictionary's interpretation of this word is to treat children as a burden, which is contrary to the needs of the new era and the policy of encouraging childbirth. They decided to sue Xinhua Dictionary in the hope of attracting public attention and promoting improvements to the Xinhua Dictionary.
In response to the incident, some experts said that the prosecution of Professor Qian and his wife was an act of misleading the public and distorting the facts. They believe that Xinhua Dictionary officials have not given a positive response, and although the local court has accepted their complaint, it is difficult to make a decision in the short term. According to the experts, they believe that the act of prosecuting Xinhua Dictionary is unprofessional and unobjective, and there may be confusion and distortion of the facts. Experts pointed out that it is inevitable that the Xinhua dictionary included negative, negative and neutral words. They believe that there is nothing wrong with the interpretation of the Xinhua dictionary and that it conforms to the norms of lexicography.
It can be seen from the prosecution of Professor Qian and his wife that they are dissatisfied with some interpretations of the Xinhua Dictionary and hope to promote the revision of the Xinhua Dictionary through the lawsuit. They believe that there are problems with the interpretation of Xinhua Dictionary, and some interpretations may be misleading to children and even conflict with the country's history and values. While experts believe that their prosecution is misleading to the public, we cannot ignore the need for controversial interpretations and amendments.
For the explanation of the word "play", the Xinhua dictionary interprets it as "playing". This explanation is indeed somewhat inappropriate in a dictionary, because it gives a negative association. Professor Qian and his wife believe that such an explanation may lead children to do some bad things. Their concerns are legitimate, after all, dictionaries are widely used as reference tools, and for small children, they can have an impact on their perceptions and values. Therefore, it is necessary for the Xinhua Dictionary to revise this interpretation.
As for the interpretation of the word "倭", the Xinhua dictionary only interprets it as "called Japan in ancient times". Such an explanation is indeed an oversimplification, ignoring the history of aggression against China by the Japanese invaders. In fact, it is a painful memory in Chinese history that deserves to be remembered. In order to respect history and national sentiments, it is necessary for the Xinhua Dictionary to supplement and revise this interpretation.
As for the explanation of the word "don't", the Xinhua dictionary interprets it as "a pistol pinned to the waist". This explanation is incomprehensible and seems to inadvertently convey the values of Western countries. In China's actual situation, such an explanation does not fit and may even give a misleading impression. Therefore, the Xinhua dictionary needs to revise this interpretation to be closer to the actual situation in China.
Professor Qian and his wife believe that the Xinhua dictionary's interpretation of the word "tired" is wrong to treat children as a burden, and conflicts with the needs of the new era and policies to encourage childbearing. For this interpretation, they hope that the Xinhua dictionary can be improved and more in line with the values and needs of the new era.
Some experts believe that Professor Qian and his wife's lawsuit against Xinhua Dictionary is misleading the public and distorting the facts. These experts believe that the interpretation of the Xinhua dictionary is not wrong and conforms to the norms of lexicography. They pointed out that it is inevitable that the Xinhua Dictionary includes negative, negative, and neutral words, and that there is no ambiguity in the Xinhua Dictionary's explanation.
However, the prosecution of Professor Qian and his wife also reflects the necessity of controversial interpretation and revision of the Xinhua Dictionary. As a reference tool, the dictionary needs to keep pace with the development of society and the change of values. Professor Qian and his wife's doubts about some of the explanations in the Xinhua dictionary are reasonable and have an important impact on children's growth and cognition. Therefore, Xinhua Dictionary needs to listen carefully to these doubts and make appropriate revisions to better meet the needs of society and the expectations of the public.
Overall, Professor Qian and his wife's lawsuit against Xinhua Dictionary may be in some way a pursuit of traffic and attention, but their questioning of some of the explanations in Xinhua Dictionary is also reasonable. As an authoritative dictionary, Xinhua Dictionary needs to be revised and improved according to the development of the times and the needs of society. It is hoped that Xinhua Dictionary can give feedback to the public's opinions in a timely manner and make reasonable revisions to better serve the society.