Compiled by unknown scholars between the Warring States period and the early Han, it groups the words of the classics by meaning into 19 chapters, from kinship terms and buildings to plants, insects, fish, birds and beasts, and was later counted among the
十三经 'Thirteen Classics'. The title means 'coming close to correct usage':
尔 stands for
迩 'near', and
雅 means 'correct'.
