- This article is about a type of dictionary in ancient China. For the type of Western reference work used in poetry, see rhyming dictionary.
A
rime dictionary,
rhyme dictionary, or
rime book is an ancient type of
Chinese dictionary that collates
characters by
tone and
rhyme, instead of by
radical. The most important rime dictionary tradition began with the
Qieyun (601), which aimed to reconcile the literary reading traditions and poetic practice of north and south China. This work became very popular during the
Tang dynasty, and went through a series of revisions and expansions, of which the most famous is the
Guangyun (1007–1008).