Grammata Serica Recensa is a Latin phrase derived from the Greek words γράμμα (gramma) meaning "letter" or "character," σηρικά (serika) meaning "Silk Road" or "Chinese," and recensa meaning "enumerated" or "made known."
The term Grammata Serica Recensa refers to a comprehensive catalog or list of Chinese characters or symbols used in written communication. It specifically denotes a specific work compiled by the Swedish sinologist and linguist Bernhard Karlgren in the early 20th century.
The catalog, commonly known as GSR, was an essential breakthrough in the field of Chinese language studies. It aimed to analyze and classify Chinese characters based on their phonetic and tonal properties, along with their origins, functions, and meanings. GSR serves as a foundational resource for linguists, historians, and researchers interested in understanding the evolution and structure of the Chinese writing system.
In GSR, Karlgren divided Chinese characters into different categories, such as pictographs, simple ideographs, compound ideographs, phonetic loan characters, and phonetic compounds. He also provided valuable information on the pronunciation and meaning of characters in different historical periods, making significant contributions to the field of Chinese linguistics.
Due to its comprehensive nature, Grammata Serica Recensa remains a fundamental point of reference for scholars and students delving into the intricacies of the Chinese writing system and its historical development.
