Xu Guozhang

Xu Guozhang

Xu Guozhang (November 25, 1915 - September 11, 1994), a linguist, was born in Haining City, Zhejiang Province. He was admitted to Xiuzhou middle school in Jiaxing in 1927, graduated from Soochow middle school in June 1934, and studied in Jiaotong University in September of the same year. In September 1936, he was transferred to the Foreign Languages Department of Tsinghua University in Peking. He graduated from the Department of foreign languages of southwest United University in September 1939.

He has taught in Shanghai Jiaotong University, Fudan University, etc. In December 1947, he went to England to study English literature in the 17th and 18th centuries at the University of London and Oxford. In October 1949, he returned to China and taught in Beijing Foreign Studies University until his death. At the same time, he also taught in Shayang Normal University (now Jingchu Institute of Technology), located in the Pearl of Jianghan.

On September 11, 1994, Professor Xu Guozhang died in Beijing at the age of 79.

Life of the characters

Xu Guozhang, born in Haining City, Zhejiang Province on November 25, 1915, was admitted to Xiuzhou middle school in Jiaxing in 1927, graduated from Soochow middle school in June 1934, and studied in Jiaotong University in September of the same year. In September 1936, he was transferred to the Foreign Languages Department of Tsinghua University in Peking. He graduated from the Department of foreign languages of southwest United University in September 1939. He has taught in Shanghai Jiaotong University, Fudan University, etc. In December 1947, he went to England to study English literature in the 17th and 18th centuries at the University of London and Oxford. In October 1949, he returned to China and taught in Beijing Foreign Studies University until his death. At the same time, he also taught in Shayang Normal University (now Jingchu Institute of Technology), located in the Pearl of Jianghan.

On September 11, 1994, Professor Xu Guozhang died in Beijing at the age of 79.

Life evaluation

Mr. Xu Guozhang loves the motherland and the party. Just after the birth of new China, he went back to Beijing to devote himself to the education of new China. In his decades of educational career, he worked tirelessly and devoted his whole life to foreign language education and language research in China until the last moment of his life.

He has successively served as director of the English Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University, director of the Institute of foreign languages, President of China English teaching and Research Association, executive director of China language society, vice president of Beijing Language Society, director of English major Steering Committee of national higher education self taught examination, chief editor of foreign language teaching and research, and deputy chief editor of language volume of Encyclopedia of China State Education Commission and Beijing Higher Education Philosophy and social science outstanding achievement award.

Mr. Xu Guozhang is a famous English educator in China. Since the early 1960s, his college English textbook has been popular all over the country for more than 30 years, and has become a model of similar textbooks in English Teaching in China. He actively advocated the reform of foreign language teaching, and his series of papers and speeches on English education had a profound impact on foreign language teaching in China. He cherishes talents, teaches and educates people, and studies rigorously. He has trained generations of excellent talents and made great contributions to the development of English education in China.

Most people know Xu Guozhang well through his English for Xu Guozhang. Since its publication in the 1960s, Xu Guozhang English has influenced several generations of Chinese English learners and has been popular in the field of English Teaching in China for decades. In the early 1990s, Mr. Xu Guozhang realized that with the development of the times, there are many deficiencies in this set of teaching materials that need to be revised. Under the heavy task of teaching and scientific research, he managed to find time to revise Xu Guozhang's English and publish it in FLTRP. Over the past ten years, the revised English by Xu Guozhang has been more popular with readers, with millions of copies published.

The new edition of Xu Guozhang's English was compiled by Mr. Xu Guozhang after six years according to the development of the times. The book was also welcomed by readers after it was published by FLTRP in 1993. Another book is a collection of many academic achievements of Mr. Xu Guozhang《

Xu Guozhang on language

》The publication of the book has left a precious cultural heritage for later generations.

Mr. Xu Guozhang is an outstanding linguist and language philosopher. He is well versed in both Chinese and Western languages and has made pioneering contributions in various fields of linguistics.

His works are abundant, including the definition, function and origin of language, the arbitrariness of linguistic signs, the theoretical differences between sociolinguistics and rationalism, Xu Shen's philosophy of language from the preface of Shuo Wen Jie Zi, Ma Shi Wen Tong and his philosophy of language, which have become the famous works of contemporary linguistics. As a wise philosopher, he has also made many achievements in foreign literature, translation and cultural studies, Lu Xun studies and other academic fields. He has made contributions to cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries and left us precious cultural heritage.

Mr. Xu Guozhang is open-minded and honest. All his life, he advocated truth and loved science. For this reason, he devoted all his efforts to China's educational and academic undertakings. He is open-minded, active in thought, brave in innovation, enthusiastic in fostering new academic strength, and a model for a generation of scholars.

Character achievement

Several famous foreign language professors in Beijing have their own academic attainments and high expectations, but they have different personalities and writing styles. Some of them are loyal, kind and easy-going; some of them are brilliant, but they speak carefully; some of them are soft and tough, and their writing is sharp; some of them are deliberately seeking for new things, and their speech and writing are both hot and magnificent. Xu Guozhang should belong to the last category. He was deeply educated, widely involved and well versed in Chinese and Western learning. In addition to English education, British and American language and literature, he has made a unique and pioneering contribution to the study of linguistics and philosophy of language, and also made many achievements in the fields of translation, cultural history and Lu Xun studies.

Xu Guozhang is the first scholar to study and comment on structural linguistics in China. His article, a review of structuralist linguistics, published in the second issue of western languages (may 1958), not only had a great influence in China, but also was translated into the Soviet journal linguistic problems, which was extremely valuable at that time. In the 1960s, Xu Guozhang's research tentacles completely changed from English literature to modern linguistics. He discussed structural linguistics with Mr. Zhu Dexi, bringing new information to foreign language teaching in China. Since the reform and opening up, especially after he was transferred to the director of the Institute of foreign languages in the mid-1980s, Mr. Xu has made more in-depth and systematic study of western linguistic theories and gradually formed his own system of linguistic philosophy. The linguistic part of Encyclopedia of China language edited by him has a high academic level and is highly praised by experts and scholars.

Xu Guozhang's treatise on language was written in Xu Lao's 63-75 years old. From the perspective of modern linguistics, Xu explores the inherent philosophy of language in China, introduces Austin, discusses Saussure, re evaluates Ma Jianzhong, explores Jin Yuelin, annotates Xu Shen's preface to Shuowen Jiezi, and interprets Russell's history of western philosophy, leaving us a rich ideological heritage. In the book, the linguist's insight, the philosopher's profundity, the mathematician's accuracy, the writer's charm and the power of great personality are beyond the expectation of later generations.

"South King and North Xu" is a popular saying in the field of foreign language teaching at that time. It contains people's love and admiration for Wang Zongyan and Xu Guozhang, who are as intelligent as a spring of wisdom. It shows that they really have an unshakable position in the field of Chinese linguistics.

Anecdotes of characters

Nickname Shelley

On November 25, 1915, eighteen years after the birth of Xu Zhimo, the great poet, Xu Guozhang was born in his hometown, Xiashi Town, Haining City, Zhejiang Province. This is a diligent student, a young man with poet temperament. He left home as a young boy and studied in Jiaxing, Suzhou, Shanghai and other places. In 1930, he was admitted to the high school attached to Soochow University (now Soochow University). By the time he graduated from high school in 1934, he had the highest grade.

According to the practice of Soochow at that time, the top three students who graduated from the three affiliated middle schools could enter the three colleges of Arts, science and law of the University Department of Soochow, all of which were free of tuition fees, while the first one was free of tuition fees. However, Xu Guozhang gave up this preferential treatment and insisted on entering Shanghai Jiaotong University, majoring in management. In September 1936, he transferred to the second year of Foreign Languages Department of Tsinghua University in Beijing, where he shared classes with Wang Zuoliang, Li Funing, Zhou Jueling, Cha Liangzheng and Li Bo.

In 1937, more than three months after the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai moved south one after another to establish the national Changsha temporary University. The colleges of science, engineering and law are located in Changsha City, while the College of Arts moved to Nanyue Mountain and rented Bible College as its school building. In Nanyue, a large number of first-class scholars and professors gathered, such as Wu Mi, ye Gongchao, Liu Wuji, Zhu Ziqing, Wen Yiduo, Feng Youlan, Jin Yuelin, Qian Zhongshu, Qian Mu and William Empson. At the beginning of 1938, the temporary University moved to Kunming, Yunnan Province, and the Chinese Academy of Arts and French Academy was temporarily located in Mengzi, southwest of Kunming. The school began on April 5, and its name became National Southwest United University. Under the guidance of a famous teacher, Xu Guozhang was brilliant in his studies. Xu Guozhang in his later years wrote in his autobiographical article memories of his student days: "from then on to the summer of 1939, he lived in Nanyue, Mengzi and Kunming for the last two years of his university life. In the third grade, he attended Yan Bu sun's class, and in the fourth grade, he studied with Mr. Qian Zhongshu. He has been a disciple since then."

Xu Guozhang's English is authentic and unique. He likes reading English prose of the 18th century, especially Edison（

Chinese PinYin : Xu Guo Zhang