CCTV9英语新闻：Linguist perseveres to complete forgotten national project

The official language of Afghanistan now has its first ever Chinese dictionary, thanks to a linguist 1 in Beijing. Seventy-eight year old Che Hongcai has just completed the first ever Pashto-Chinese dictionary, a project commissioned 36 years ago by the State Council, but that was later interrupted and nearly abandoned. 

 

A mission of a lifetime. In his modest home in Beijing, Che Hongcai begins a typical day cross-referencing dictionary entries. Piles of index cards containing Chinese and Pashto terms sit in his study. He reads out every definition. Each entry is checked against up to five other dictionaries to guarantee accuracy. They are a testament 2 to the years of meticulous 3 and laborious 5 work Che has endured.

 

After picking up the Pashto as a student sent by the Chinese government to Kabul University in Afghanistan in the 1960s, Che has since devoted 6 nearly half his life to the language.

 

"I think it was very wise for then Premier 7 Zhou Enlai to assign us to learn the less-spoken language of Pashto, the official language of Afghanistan. I now feel that I have a mission to pass it down, and a dictionary could be useful for later generations." Che said. 

 

Well before China began its famous reform and opening up, the State Council called a national meeting in 1975 to discuss compiling 160 foreign-language dictionaries that would serve the nation during its coming decades of development. As one of the few Chinese experts in Pashto, Che was contacted by the Commercial Press in 1978 and asked to compile the dictionary.

 

But the project was soon interrupted, as Che received other assignments that sent him to become a university professor, a radio reporter, and even for a time, a diplomatic envoy 8 in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

 

"During my years in Pakistan, I was able to get access to Afghan radio and TV to refresh my language skills. I also worked in Pashto. This experience has been useful. My years in radio has increased my sense of urgency to finish the dictionary. " Che said. 

 

But Che persevered 9. And in 2008, he resumed the work he had started decades earlier. When he first began the project in the 1980s, Che relied on a 62 yuan monthly salary. But no further funding was available for working on the dictionary. Still for hours every day, Che toiled 10 over different words on his computer.

 

The hefty draft was finally delivered to the Commercial Press in 2012. At first, the publisher didn’t remember commissioning the dictionary, and had to sort through company archives to find the long forgotten project.

 

A new contract was promptly 11 signed, giving Che and his assisstant 80 yuan per 1,000 words. But Che says money is not the real reward.

 

"I have the determination, confidence and persistence 12 to finish the project. It’s monotonous 13, but I find joy in learning the new meaning of every word " Che said.

 

Che had two assisstants on the project over the years. One of them passed away in 2000, never able to see the project’s completion. At the age of 78, Che hopes he will see the fruits of his decades-long labor 4. His 2.5-million-word Pashto-Chinese dictionary is due out by the end of 2014.

 

点击收听单词发音  






1
linguist

  
 


n.语言学家；精通数种外国语言者


参考例句：





I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家，后来成了作家。
Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。












2
testament

  
 


n.遗嘱；证明


参考例句：





This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。












3
meticulous

  
 


adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的


参考例句：





We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。












4
labor

  
 


n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦


参考例句：





We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。












5
laborious

  
 


adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅


参考例句：





They had the laborious task of cutting down the huge tree.他们接受了伐大树的艰苦工作。
Ants and bees are laborious insects.蚂蚁与蜜蜂是勤劳的昆虫。












6
devoted

  
 


adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的


参考例句：





He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。












7
premier

  
 


adj.首要的；n.总理，首相


参考例句：





The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。












8
envoy

  
 


n.使节，使者，代表，公使


参考例句：





Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。












9
persevered

  
 


v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 )


参考例句：





She persevered with her violin lessons. 她孜孜不倦地学习小提琴。
Hard as the conditions were, he persevered in his studies. 虽然条件艰苦，但他仍坚持学习。 来自辞典例句












10
toiled

  
 


长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉


参考例句：





They toiled up the hill in the blazing sun. 他们冒着炎炎烈日艰难地一步一步爬上山冈。
He toiled all day long but earned very little. 他整天劳碌但挣得很少。












11
promptly

  
 


adv.及时地，敏捷地


参考例句：





He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。












12
persistence

  
 


n.坚持，持续，存留


参考例句：





The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。












13
monotonous

  
 


adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的


参考例句：





She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。