In so many words...

Huang Jianhua and his wife, Yu Xiumei, are the major compilers of the latest edition of the Grand Contemporary Chinese-French Dictionary. [Photo by Zou Zhongpin/China Daily]

The book also includes words and phrases widely used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as some from local dialects.

"It's very informative, providing plenty of examples related to context and usage," says Raymond Rocher, a French professor at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. "In a word, it helps to find different equivalents according to the different context.

"Huang's bilingual dictionary is definitely a valuable aid to language students and a working tool to professional translators. Moreover, it is easy to use for Chinese or French speakers aiming for efficiency in translation."

Rocher says that one of the main challenges of the project was to find not only an equivalent word but also collocations and phrases to be translated into French.

Liu Qing, vice-president of the Lexicographical Society of China, described the book as a scientific and authoritative work covering a wide range of academic fields, from humanity to natural sciences.

Huang was in his 60s in 1998 when the publishers commissioned his university to produce the dictionary's second edition, which the Ministry of Education later listed as a special project in social sciences.

He and his wife, Yu Xiumei, who also taught French at the university, were the only compilers who worked on the dictionary from beginning to end.