XINING -- China attaches great importance to the use of the Tibetan language, as evidenced by the recent publication of a key bilingual dictionary.

On Friday, the Han-Tibetan version of the Modern Chinese Dictionary, compiled and translated over 13 years, was jointly published by China Tibetology Publishing House and The Commercial Press, according to the ethnic and religious affairs commission of Qinghai province.

Against the backdrop of rapid social development, Tibetan people have shown a growing desire to learn the national standard Chinese (Han language) while also preserving their own. However, authoritative and user-friendly Han-Tibetan reference books have been scarce, prompting Qinghai -- a province with a large Tibetan population -- to launch the translation project.

The three-volume dictionary has over 70,000 Chinese entries and 200,000 Tibetan entries, totaling more than 10 million characters. While featuring vocabulary, explanations and example sentences with concise, accurate and practical translations, it also integrates word forms and meaning transformations in line with Tibetan grammatical rules.

This dictionary serves as an authoritative language tool in Tibetan-inhabited areas, providing valuable resources for education and cultural exchange and contributing to China's efforts in promoting ethnic exchanges and integration, according to the commission.