and three southern. According to Lu, Yan Zhitui (???) and Xiao Gai ??, both men originally from the south, were the most influential in setting up the norms on which the Qieyun was based. However, the dictionary was compiled by Lu alone, consulting several earlier dictionaries, none of which have survived.

When classical Chinese poetry flowered during the Tang dynasty, the Qieyun became the authoritative source for literary pronunciations and it repeatedly