List of Chinese encyclopedias

Note: Within this list, Chinese encyclopedia translates leishu, a traditional Chinese reference work that, unlike a modern encyclopedia with expressly written articles, consists of excerpts from primary texts arranged by categories. Fascicle translates juan 卷 "scroll; fascicle; volume" for early (pre-20th century) encyclopedias and volume refers to modern encyclopedias.

List of Chinese encyclopedias
Date Period Title Notes
c. 4th cent. BCE Warring States Erya First Chinese dictionary/encyclopedia
c. 2nd cent. BCE Han dynasty Shiben First Chinese encyclopedia of origins, largely a lost work, but later partially reconstructed
c. 222 CE Cao Wei Huanglan First Chinese leishu encyclopedia, for Emperor Cao Pi, lost work, with only fragments surviving
624 Tang dynasty Yiwen Leiju Encyclopedia of literature, Ouyang Xun, 100 fascicles
668 Tang dynasty Fayuan Zhulin Chinese Buddhist encyclopedia, 100 fascicles
729 Tang dynasty Kaiyuan Zhanjing First Chinese astrology encyclopedia, Gautama Siddha, 120 fascicles
801 Tang dynasty Tongdian Encyclopedia of institutional history, Du You, 200 fascicles
978 Northern Song dynasty Taiping Guangji Collection of historical and supernatural stories, Li Fang, 500 fascicles
983 Northern Song dynasty Taiping Yulan Encyclopedia of history and literature, Li Fang, 1,000 fascicles
985 Northern Song dynasty Wenyuan Yinghua Anthology of literature from Liang dynasty to the Five Dynasties era, Li Fang, 1,000 fascicles
1013 Northern Song dynasty Cefu Yuangui Largest Song period encyclopedia, Wang Qinruo, 1,000 fascicles
1088 Northern Song dynasty Mengxi Bitan Encyclopedia of natural phenomena, Shen Kuo, 30 fascicles
1116 Southern Song dynasty Tongzhi Comprehensive encyclopedia of history, 200 fascicles
1408 Ming dynasty Yongle Encyclopedia Largest general leishu encyclopedia, quotes from 8,000 texts, 22,937 fascicles
1609 Ming dynasty Sancai Tuhui Illustrated encyclopedia of articles in many fields of knowledge, 106 fascicles
1621 Ming dynasty Wubei Zhi Encyclopedic history of military affairs, 240 fascicles
1627 Ming dynasty Yuanxi Qiqi Tushuo Luzui Chinese illustrated encyclopedia of Western mechanical devices, Johann Schreck, 3 fascicles
1637 Ming dynasty Tiangong Kaiwu Encyclopedia of science and technology, Song Yingxing, 18 fascicles
1726 Qing dynasty Complete Classics Collection of Ancient China Largest leishu ever printed, 852,408 pages, 10,000 fascicles
1773 Lê dynasty (Vietnam) Vân đài loại ngữ Chinese-language Vietnamese encyclopedia, Lê Quý Đôn, 4 fascicles
1782 Qing dynasty Complete Library of the Four Treasuries Largest collection of Chinese history, philosophy, and literature, Ji Yun, 79,000 fascicles
1917 Republic of China The Encyclopaedia Sinica First English-language encyclopedia on China, 1 volume
1938 Republic of China Cihai First modern general-purpose encyclopedic dictionary, 2 volumes
1978 People's Republic of China Encyclopedia of China First large-scale modern Chinese encyclopedia, 74 volumes
1980-1993 Republic of China Chinese Encyclopedia Illustrated general-purpose encyclopedia, 10 volumes
1985-1991 People's Republic of China Concise Encyclopædia Britannica Translated general-purpose encyclopedia, 11 volumes
2002 Modern China Chinese Wikipedia Chronologically first Chinese online encyclopedia but third by the number of articles
2005 Modern China Hudong Probably the largest Chinese online encyclopedia
2006 Modern China Baidu Baike One of the two largest Chinese-language collaborative web-based encyclopedia
1989-2019 Modern China Zhonghua Dadian (中华大典) Encyclopedia of Chinese classic texts, "the biggest cultural project since the founding of the People's Republic of China"
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