On the First Collection of Chinese-Persian Vocabularies Named"   HuiHui Guan Yi Yu

Hui Hui Guan Yi Yu” is a collection of Chinese to Persian vocabularies that wascompiled during the Yuan and Ming periods for the purpose of learning Persian. Manuscripts kept in the world's libraries are of two types: the “Si Yi Guan” manuscripts and th“e Hui Tong Gua”n manuscripts. The original Si Yi Guan manuscript was written during the Ming period and is comprised of three sections: vocabulary, appendix of vocabulary and letters, and as a whole covers 1010 words and 26 letters. These vocabularies are divided by topic into 18 chapters and each word is given with its original Persian word a Persian transcription with Chinese and the Chinese equivalent. The letters are written in the Chinese script with their Persian translations. The original Hui Tong manuscript was probably compiled during the Yuan period. This vocabulary only contains 674 words. In these vocabularies, which are divided by topic into 17 chapters, each word has only its Chinese meaning and Persian transcriptions with Chinese. Out of 674 words, 371 words are also found in Si Yi Guan manuscripts. Therefore, excepting the repeated words, the collection of Hui Hui Guan Yi Yu comprises 1313 words and 26 letters. Hui Hui Guan Yi Yu is one of the most precious documents for research in the social history and philology of Chinese Muslims. It also provides an authentic insight into relations between Iran and China. From a linguistic point of view, these documents help reveal the status of the Persian language in the history of China and the rules of Persian transcription with Chinese words. The clarification of certain aspects of Persian grammar in Chinese is also a very useful tool for scholars in determining Persian words that have entered into Chinese religious and historical scripts. From a historical perspective, all the letters” have historical credibility, and these documents reflect the relationship between China and central and Western Asia during the Ming dynasty. Some of the letters also reveal the political relationship of the Ming dynasty with Islam.