Getting started
Full-text search
To perform a simple full-text search, make sure you are in the "Texts" section of the site, then go to the "Search" box at the bottom-left of the screen. First choose which part of the database you want to search in from the drop-down list,
then enter the text you want to match (e.g. 學而時習之) in the box below, and click "Search".
The full-text database supports multiple search terms; to enter these, enter words or phrases separated by a space (e.g. 學而時 不亦君子) - this will match all paragraphs which contain all of the phrases listed. To enter an English phrase which itself contains spaces, enclose the entire phrase in quotation marks (e.g. "Mozi said").
For a more flexible search, click on the "Advanced" link beside the "Search" button.
Dictionary search
To perform a simple dictionary search, make sure you are in the "Dictionary" section of the site, then go to the "Search" box at the bottom-left of the screen.
Enter the character, word, or words you want to match (e.g. 學) in the box below, and click "Search".
If you enter text which does not constitute a dictionary entry, the dictionary will display the entry for each character input in a tabular form.
Resource search
To perform a simple resource search, make sure you are in the "Resources" section of the site, then go to the "Search" box at the bottom-left of the screen. First choose which part of the database you want to search in from the drop-down list,
then enter the title text you want to match (e.g. Ethics) in the box below, and click "Search".
For a more flexible search, click on the "Advanced" link beside the "Search" button.
Generic icons
| Icon | Function |
|---|
 | Displays existing discussion relating to an item. |
 | Creates a new discussion thread relating to an item (only displayed when logged in). |
 | Links to an RSS feed. |
Icons associated with passages of text
Various icons are displayed beside paragraphs of text in the textual database, which perform the following functions:
| Icon | Function |
|---|
 | Displays the dictionary entries of each word in this passage. |
 | Displays parallels between this passage and other passages. |
 | Displays a photographic representation of the page(s) containing this passage. |
 | Displays text of Chinese commentaries corresponding to this passage. |
 | Displays existing metadata relating to an item. |
 | Creates new metadata for an item (only displayed when logged in). |
Icons associated with texts
| Icon | Function |
|---|
 | Displays source information for this text. |
 | Displays introductory information for this text. |
 | Displays list of texts which reference this text. |
Icons associated with dictionary entries
| Icon | Function |
|---|
| Displays (more) occurrences or context of this usage. |
 | Displays the placement of this ruler among rulers of his respective domain. |
Icons associated with discussion messages
| Icon | Function |
|---|
 | Indicate that this message adds to the discussion. |
 | Indicate that this message does not add to the discussion. |
 | Indicates that other users think this message adds to the discussion. |
 | Deletes a link (only available to the creator of the link). |
 | Indicates an important topic which will be kept at the top of the list of topics in the forum. |
Linking to the site
You may link to any page of this site simply by copying the address (URL) of the page displayed in your web browser. To highlight a particular passage within a text, click on the passage number, and the link in your web browser will change to a link which highlights that passage.
Searching from your browser
For quick searches of texts or the dictionary, you can add search functionality to any Opensearch capable web browser (includes Firefox 2 or later and Internet Explorer 7). To add search functionality to your browser:
- Recent browsers - click on the following links: add dictionary search, add pre-Qin and Han search, add library search
- Firefox (older versions) - click on the icon to the left of the search bar at the top right of your browser window, then select the type of search you want to add.
- Internet Explorer - click on the icon to the left of the search bar at the top right of your browser window, then go to "Add Search Providers" and select the type of search you want to add..
When you first add the search function to your browser, it will be set as your active search. To search the CTP database, just make sure the correct type of search is activated in your browser's search bar, enter the text you want to search for, and press enter or click the search icon to the right of the bar.
Please note that whatever mode you are viewing the CTP in (e.g. English interface with traditional characters, or Chinese interface with simplified characters) when you add the search function will be used in subsequent searches. To change this, remove the search facility from your browser, then add it again after making sure you have selected your preferred mode of viewing the CTP.
| ![[Screenshot]](searchfirefox.gif) | | Adding CTP search to Firefox. |
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