Ji Xianlin

Ji Xianlin

Ji Xianlin (August 6, 1911 - July 11, 2009) was born in Linqing, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, China. He was also named Xifen and qizang. Internationally famous masters of Orientalism, linguists, writers, sinologists, Buddhists, historians, educators and social activists. He has successively served as member of the Department of philosophy and social sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, honorary president of Liaocheng University, vice president of Peking University, and director of the Institute of South Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of social sciences. He is a life-long professor of Peking University and is known as "South Rao North Ji" together with Rao Zongyi.

In his early years, he studied abroad, knew English, German, Sanskrit and Pali, could read Russian and French, and was especially proficient in tuhuoluo (an independent language in Indo European language family, the most widely distributed language in the contemporary world). He was one of the only scholars proficient in this language in the world. In order to "develop the study of Sanskrit, Buddhism and tuhuoluo simultaneously, and make the study of Chinese literature, comparative literature and literary theory fly together", his works are compiled into Ji Xianlin's anthology, a total of 24 volumes. During his lifetime, he wrote three articles, which won the title of "master of Chinese culture", "academic leader" and "national treasure".

At 11:10 on July 11, 2009, Ji Xianlin died at the age of 98.

Life of the characters

Learning experience

On August 6, 1911, Ji Xianlin was born into a peasant family in Guanzhuang Town, Kangzhuang Town, Qingping County, Shandong Province. Before he was six years old, he read with Ma Jinggong in Qingping.

In 1917, he left home and went to Jinan to join his uncle. He went to a private school to study. He studied "a hundred surnames", "a thousand characters", "four books" and so on.

In 1918 and 1920, he studied in the primary school attached to Shandong provincial first normal university and Xinyu primary school in Jinan. I began to learn English after class.

After graduating from primary school in 1923, he was admitted to Zhengyi middle school. After class, I took part in an ancient prose class, read Zuozhuan, ZhanGuoCe, Shiji and so on, and continued to learn English at Shangshi English society in the evening.

After graduating from junior high school in 1926 and studying in Zhengyi middle school for half a year, he transferred to the newly established high school attached to Shandong University. During this period, he began to learn German.

From 1928 to 1929, Japan invaded China, occupied Jinan and dropped out of school for one year. He wrote "the axiom of civilized man", "medical scholar", "watching drama" and other short stories under the pseudonym of Xidao, published in Tianjin Yishi Bao.

In 1929, he was transferred to the newly established Jinan high school in Shandong Province.

In 1930, he began to translate Turgenev's prose "the old woman", "the end of the world", "the old man" and "how beautiful and fresh the rose is!" and so on, which were published in Shandong national news and Tianjin Yishi daily.

After graduating from high school, he was admitted to Tsinghua University and Peking University. After entering the Department of Western literature of Tsinghua University, he majored in German. In the past four years, he has published more than ten essays and many translations.

In 1934, he graduated from the Department of Western literature of Tsinghua University. At the invitation of song Huanwu, the principal of Jinan high school in Shandong Province, he returned to his alma mater as a Chinese teacher.

In 1935, Tsinghua University and Germany signed an agreement on the exchange of graduate students, and they should be admitted. In September of the same year, he went to Germany to attend Goettingen University, majoring in Indian studies. He studied Sanskrit, Pali and tuhuoluo under the guidance of Professor Waldschmidt and Professor Sieg. And Russian, Yugoslavian, Arabic, etc.

In 1937, he was also a lecturer in Sinology Department of Gottingen University.

In 1941, he graduated from Gottingen University with a Ph.D. In the following years, he continued to write several papers in German and published them in the Journal of the Gottingen Academy of Sciences and other academic journals.

work experience

After returning to China in 1946, he was employed as professor and director of the Department of Oriental Language and literature of Peking University. He was the head of the department until 1983 (except during the Cultural Revolution). Ji Xianlin's Essays

As soon as the end of the Second World War, Ji Xianlin went back to his motherland, which had been away for 10 years. In the autumn of the same year, recommended by Chen Yinke, Ji Xianlin was employed as a professor of Peking University to establish the Department of Oriental languages. After returning to China, Ji Xianlin focused on the history of Buddhism and the history of cultural relations between China and India, and published a series of innovative papers. After liberation, he continued to be a professor and head of the Department of Oriental languages at Peking University, engaging in Department Affairs, scientific research and translation.

In February 1956, he was appointed member of the Department of philosophy and social sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He was elected a member of the second, third and fourth CPPCC National Committee in 1954, 1959 and 1964. He also visited India, Myanmar, East Germany, the former Soviet Union, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and other countries as a Chinese cultural envoy. During the cultural revolution, he was cruelly persecuted by the gang of four and its followers in Peking University.

He returned in 1978 and continued to be the director of the Department of Eastern languages of Peking University. He was appointed Vice President of Peking University and director of the Institute of South Asian Studies of Peking University. He was elected as a member of the fifth CPPCC National Committee and vice president of China Foreign Literature Association.

In 1979, he was the president of China South Asia Society.

In 1980, he was honorary president of the Chinese society of ancient Chinese characters.

In 1981, President of China Foreign Language Teaching Research Association

In 1983, he was elected a member of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress and concurrently president of the Chinese language society and vice president of the Dunhuang Turpan society.

In 1984, he served as deputy director of the Council of Peking University, executive director of the Chinese history society, and vice president of the Chinese society of higher education.

In 1985, he served as the director of the Chinese writers' Association and honorary president of the Chinese Comparative Arts Association.

In 1988, he served as chairman of the Council of the Chinese Academy of culture. He has visited Germany, Japan and Thailand as a scholar.

In 1990, he served as the president of China Asia Africa society.

At 11:10:27 on July 11, 2009, Ji Xianlin died at the age of 98.

Personal life

Family situation

elder

Ji Xianlin's grandfather Ji Laotai, father Ji Silian, mother Zhao, farmer, uncle Ji Sicheng. In 1929, Ji Xianlin got an opportunity to study in Germany when the economy was on the verge of bankruptcy. During the 11 years he left, Ji Xianlin's aunt struggled, set up a stall and sold rags, barely making ends meet for the family. Ji Xianlin's aunt was born in a family of traditional Chinese medicine, and learned a set of treatment methods from childhood. Because she lost her mother when she was young, no one worried about her, delayed the golden time of marriage, and became an "old girl". He married Ji Xianlin's uncle in his late 40s.

wife

Ji Xianlin married Peng Dehua in 1929. Peng Dehua, who lost her mother when she was young, has only a primary school education level. She is a really kind person and has never lost her temper with anyone in her life. She is really filial to her parents in law. For her children, she is really a loving mother. She is absolutely loyal, obedient and loving to her husband. She is a very rare filial daughter-in-law, a good wife and mother.

Son

In 1994, Ji Xianlin's wife Peng Dehua died of illness. Among the 40000 yuan funeral expenses, Ji Xianlin asked for 20000 yuan from his son Ji Cheng. One asked for it, and the other didn't want it. As a result, his father and son had a bad relationship. Ji Xianlin threatened to sever the relationship with him. Ji Cheng has seldom been taught by Ji Xianlin since he was young, and the relationship between father and son has always been cold.

In 1995, the contradiction between Ji Xianlin and his son began to surface, and finally broke up. They had not seen each other for 13 years. 13 years later, the two sides finally settled their differences. In 2002, before Ji Xianlin was admitted to 301 Hospital, Ji Cheng wanted to see Ji Xianlin very conveniently. After 2002, when Ji Cheng wanted to see Ji Xianlin again, he was obstructed by "some people". Finally in 2008, Ji Cheng met his 97 year old father and accompanied Ji Xianlin all the time.

Teacher and friend

In 1929, he entered Jinan high school in Shandong Province. His Chinese teacher Dong Qiufang was Lu Xun's friend and a famous translator. The reason why Ji Xianlin can't stop writing in his 50s and 60s, and still can't put down his pen in his 80s, is due to the gift of Mr. Dong, which Ji Xianlin will never forget.

In 1946, Zang Kejia visited his old classmate Li Changzhi in Nanjing National compilation and translation Museum. It happened that Ji Xianlin was there. Here Zang Kejia met Ji Xianlin for the first time. In the spring of 1949, Zang Kejia came to Peiping from Hong Kong and met Ji Xianlin again. In the early 1950s, Zang Kejia supported Ji Xianlin to join the party. Around 1978, Zang Kejia met Ji Xianlin, whose hair was half white; in 1980, he met again, and his head was covered with snow. So Zang Kejia immediately wrote a poem and gave it to Ji Xianlin: every year they run long distance, and they are happy to meet each other! Plain clothes are always in the eye, and there is no black hair.

Cultural achievements

Academic works

translation works

Ji Xianlin is proficient in 12 languages: Chinese, Yugoslavian, Sanskrit, Arabic, English, German, French, Russian, tuhuoluo, etc., and has translated a large number of works.

Note: the book has been published many times, only the first edition is listed.

Prose essay

research findings

Ji Xianlin's academic research, in his own words, is: "the study of Sanskrit, Buddhism and tuhuoluo literature develops simultaneously, and the study of Chinese literature, comparative literature and literary theory flies together.". Ji Xianlin's research fields include eight aspects

Honors

Celebrity anecdotes

achieve sudden fame

In the summer of 1947, Ji Xianlin returned to his second hometown, Jinan. Ji Xianlin visited relatives and friends in Jinan and had a lot of social activities, which shocked Wang Yaowu. He sent people to invite Ji Xianlin to his official residence for a banquet and welcomed him back to work in Shandong. Wang Yaowu also sent someone to send noodles to Ji's family

Chinese PinYin : Ji Xian Lin