最新的第11版《新华字典》[1]将"房奴"[2]、"晒工资"[3]、"学历门"[4]等新词收入。新的《新华字典》增加了近三分之一的容量。对此，许多读者反映，一味求时髦[5]，吸引人眼球，只会使得字典丧失权威性[6]。
累积已发行4亿册的《新华字典》，毫无争议成为了世界上发行量最大的工具书[7]。说明了《新华字典》在新中国普及文化知识方面做出的突出贡献，这个贡献是一份荣耀，更是一份责任担当。《新华字典》要保持所收录词汇[8]没有错，但是，如何鉴别流行词汇中的精华与糟粕、经典与流行、永恒与临时，是一项有技术的工作。
不是所有的网络热词[9]都能入选《新华字典》，只有那些确实能反映时代特征、反映社会特点的语汇才可能成为老百姓生活中的日常用语，才应该被收录进《新华字典》。新版《新华字典》还注意避免不恰当的用法。如"神马"、"小盆友"、"筒子们"这些在网络上使用范围很广，但有错误词汇，没有进入到新版《新华字典》之中。收录那些能反映时代特点的词汇，体现了工具书本身应该有的社会责任感[10]。如果没有词汇的更新，我们的用语必然十分贫乏。
《新华字典》作为一国最受欢迎工具书，承担起了社会责任感。这不单单是指《新华字典》，其他工具书也应该做到这一点。
In the new 11th edition of the Xinhua Dictionary, 'fang nu' (apartment slave), 'shai gongzi' (soak salary), 'xuelimen' ('study records incident', a case of fake study degrees certificates) and other new expressions were gathered in. The Xinhua Dictionary has increased its capacity by almost a third. Many readers respond that by doing so the dictionary seeks to be more fashionable, and attracts the people's eyes, but this can only make the dictionary lose its authoritativeness.
Altogether already 400 million New Xinhua Dictionary books have been distributed, without any competition it has become the reference book with highest volume of circulation worldwide. Explaining New Xinhua Dictionary's outstanding contribution in the aspect of popularizing cultural knowledge in new China, this contribution is a portion of honor and a portion of undertaking responsibility. Not all popular lexicons are 'classics'. New Xinhua Dictionary should maintain the gathered vocabulary doesn't have mistakes, though how to distinguish between the 'cream' and 'waste', 'classic' and 'popular', 'eternal' and 'temporary', of fashionable vocabulary - This is a task that requires skill.
Not all internet 'hot expressions' can enter Xinhua Dictionary. Only words that can certainly reflect the distinctive features of the era, vocabulary that reflects society characteristics and that can become terms in the life of ordinary people and can be employed in the Xinhua Dictionary. The new edition of Xinhua Dictionary is also careful in refraining from unappropriate usages. 'Shen ma' ('spirit horse', used in slang to replace 什么 shenme 'what'), 'xiao penyou' ('small basin friend', used to replace 小朋友 xiao pengyou, small friend); such forms are employed in a wide scope on the internet, though such vocabulary with errors isn't included in the new edition of Xinhua Dictionary. The words included reflect vocabulary with characteristics of the era, realizing the social responsibility that a reference book should have. If no new vocabulary is included, our discourse will inevitably be very poor.
Xinhua dictionary has become the most popular reference book in the country, undertaking social responsibility. This not only refers to Xinhua Dictionary, as other reference book should also accomplish this point.
Original article published by Changsha Evening Paper 长沙晚报
See our Thinking Chinese Internet Slang section
[1] 《新华字典》xīn huá zìdiǎn - Xinhua Dictionary; the most widespread dictionary in China, first issued in 1953, published by People's Education Press人民教育出版社.
[2] 房奴 fáng nú - 'Apartment slave', people who work painstakingly in order to pay for one's apartment
[3] 晒工资 shài gōngzī - 'Soak/expose salary'; sharing details of one's salary anonymously on the internet
[4] 学历门 xuélì mén - 'Study records incident': A 2010 incident, in which it was exposed that director of Xinhuadou Group (which runs many department stores), Tang Jun 唐骏, has presented a face study certificate of American Pacific Western University in a book he wrote about becoming successful
[5] 时髦 shímáo - Fashion
[6] 权威性 quánwēixìng - Authoritativeness
[7] 工具书 gōngjùshū - Reference book
[8] 词汇 cíhuì - Vocabulary
[9] 网络热词 wǎngluò rè cí - Internet 'hot words', internet slang
[10] 社会责任感 shèhuì zérèn gǎn - Social responsibility
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