Abstract：China has a booming dictionary market, yet its research on dictionary market is relatively sparse. Based on data collected from the National Publications Data Center and the OpenBook Retail Market Monitor System, this study offers an overview of the development of dictionary market in China. In view of the significant changes in publication volume, product formats, and sales channels since the establishment of ChinaLex in 1992, China’s dictionary market in the past three decades can be divided into three stages: development stage (1992–2002), mature stage (2003–2015) and transformation stage (2016–2022). In the course of the development, the forces of state guidance and market regulation combined to stimulate the transformation of the dictionary market. More specifically, the main factors contributing to the development of dictionary market include the state guidance on dictionary compilation and publication, the participation of ChinaLex in standardizing the dictionary market, the response of dictionary products to market demand, and the growing market awareness among dictionary publishers. The main challenges facing the thriving dictionary market include blindly following trend in title selection, weak copyright awareness, disorder in new media marketing, low-standard administration in cultural companies, scarcity of academic research, and lack of profitable model for digital dictionaries. Looking into the future, we suggest in this paper that the entire dictionary community make joint efforts to standardize the market environment, strike a balance between social and economic benefits, explore digital transformation, and cultivate user consumption mindset, with a purpose to promote the sustained and healthy development of China’s dictionary market.
