Chen Yinke
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| Chen Yinke 陈寅恪 |
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| Born | June 16, 1890 Changsha Hunan Qing Dynasty |
| Died | October 7, 1969 (aged 79) Guangzhou, Guangdong, China |
| Occupation | Historian, Classical Literature Researcher, Linguist, Fellow of Academia Sinica |
Chen Yinke (Yinque) (Chinese: 陈寅恪, Pinyin: Chén Yínkè; 16 June 1890 - 7 October 1969) was a Historian, Classical Literature Researcher, Linguist of China, fellow of Academia Sinica, whose representative work is Biography of Liu Rushi.
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[edit] Biography
Chen Yinke was born in 1890 in Changsha Hunan and his nationality was Yining Jiangxi Province, which isXiushui County now. Chen's father Chen Sanli is a famous poet, one of the Four Member of Hundred Days' Reform, who had been chief professor of Sanjiang Normal School. As a young boy, Chen Yinke learnt at private school of Nanjing, and was once student of Wang Hang, a Sinology master. Under his family's guidance, he concentrated on classical works of Philosophy, History and so on. In 1902 he went to Japan with his elder brother Chen HengKe who graduated from School of Mining and Road Nanjing, learnt in Hongwen School; meanwhile Lu Xun Chen Shizeng and so on were also enrolled there at the same year. In 1905 he had to leave school because of foot disease, and learn in Fudan School, Wusong Shanghai. He passed the official scholarship examination in 1910 and learnt in Berlin University Germany, University of Zurich Switzerland, Insititut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris France and so on. Then in 1914 he came back to China because of World War I. In winter 1918 he got another official scholarship from Jiangxi Province, went abroad to study again, first learnt Sanskrit and Tripitaka in Harvard University USA under the supervision of Charles Rockwell Lanman, then he went to Berlin University Germany to learn Oriental Paleography under the supervision of Prof. Lueders, meanwhile learnt Central Asian Paleography under the supervision of Max Mueller, Mongolian Language under the supervision of Erich Haenisch. During the study he managed Mongolian, Tibetan, Manchu, Japanese, Sanskrit, English, French, German, Tripitaka, Persian, Turkic, Tangut script, Latin, Greek and so on, especially Sanskrit and Tripitaka. Xia CengYou once said to him: "it is wonderful that you can read foreign language books. I have no books to read because I know Chinese only and I've read all the Chinese books."
In March 1925 he returned back to China again, when Wu Mi was in charge of the Institute of Guoxue Studies, Tsinghua University. He accepted the invitation and behaved as one of the mentors of Institute of Guoxue Studies, colleges of Wang Guowei, Liang Qichao and Zhao Yuanren. In 1928 Tsinghua School changed to be Tsinghua University, Chen was invited as Professor of both Chinese Language and Literature Department and History Department, and worked as an adjunct professor in Peking University. In Summer of 1928 Chen went back home in Shanghai and married to Tang Fen, granddaughter of Tang Jingsong, former president of Republic of Formosa. During this time he mainly gave lectures about translation of Buddhist texts, historical documents of Wei Dynasty, Jin Dynasty, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, and also research on Mongolian, etc. He was also adjunct member of Board of Academia Sinica, research fellow and director of Department 1 of The Institute of History and Philosophy, member of the board of National Palace Museum, member of Committee of Qing Dynasty's Documents and so on since 1930. After the Second Sino-Japanese War began, Chen taught at National Southwestern Associated University in Kunming, Yunnan, mainly giving lectures of History of Jin Dynasty Southern and Northern Dynasties, History of Sui Dynasti and Tang Dynasty, research on Poems of Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi and so on.
In 1939, the Oxford University in United Kingdom invited him to be Professor of Chinese History. He left Kunming to Hongkong in September 1940 and was to go to United Kingdom, but was unable to move because of the war. He concentrated himself on research in late 1941 when Hongkong falled into Japan imperial army. Chen Yinke went to Guilin and taught at Guangxi University in July 1942, then to Chengdu and taught at Yenching University in December 1943. He was re-invited as professor of Tsinghua University in 1946. Then he taught at Lingnan University in Guangzhou in late 1948. During the revise of Universities and Colleges in China Mainland, Lingnan University merged into Zhongshan University, since then Chen Yinke worked there as professor giving three lectures about history of Jin Dynasty Southern and Northern Dynasties, history of Tang Dynasty, and Yue Fu of Tang Dynasty. He became vise president of Research Institute of Culture and History China in July 1960.
Chen was severely tortured during the Cultural Revolution period. He made documental self-criticism several times, claiming :"I have never done anything disobeying Chinese people. I've been teaching for 40 years, only focusing myself on teaching and writing, while never doing anything practical (for Kuomintang)". His hand-writings were also destroyed. He died at October 7, 1969 in Guangzhou.
[edit] Idea of Research
Chen Yinke claimed that researchers should insist on "thoughts of freedom, spirits of independent" in 1920s. He was designated as head of department 2 of Insititute of History Study, China Academy of Sciences. He claimed two prerequisites as his accepting the position during the Reply to the China Academy of Sciences on December 1, 1953, first one was "the Institute of Ancient Chinese History being allowed to not obey Marxism, and not learn politics, and the other was "Mao Zedong or Liu Shaoqi writes one official permission about that as prove."He also said "it means that Mao Sir (Mao Zedong) is the top politically authority while Liu Sir (Liu Shaoqi) is the top authority of the party. I think my opinion should be accepted and agreed with by the authority, or I will not get involved in such study. [1]" Then he refused the offer and still worked in Zhongshan University. It was not disclosed into public till 1980s.
[edit] List of Works
- Chen Yinke Wei Jin Nan Bei Chao Shi Yan Jiang Lu (Lectures on History of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties)
- Sui Tang Zhi Du Yuan Yuan Lue Lun Gao (A Brief Introduction to the Origins of Institutions of Sui and Tang Dynasties)
- Tang Dai Zheng Zhi Shi Lun Shu Gao (A Brief Introduction to the Political History of Tang Dynasty)
- Yuan Bai Shi Jian Zheng Gao (A Testifying on Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi's Poems)
- Lun Zai Sheng Yuan (On Zai Sheng Yuan)
- Liu Ru Shi Bie Zhuan (An Unofficial Biography of Liu Rushi)
- Jin Ming Guan Cong Gao Chu Bian (Writings on Jin Ming Guan, Vol. 1)
- Han Liu Tang Ji
- Chen Yin Ke Xue Shu Wen Hua Sui Bi (Essays on Chen Yinke's Academy and Culture)
- Chen Yin Ke Wen Ji (Collection of Chen Yin Ke)
- Chen Yin Ke Ji (Corpus of Chen Yin Ke)
- Jin Ming Guan Cong Gao Er Bian (Writings on Jin Ming Guan, Vol. 2)
[edit] Biographical References
- Wu Mi and Chen Yinke, by Wu Xuezhao, Tsinghua University Press, ISBN 9787302009740
- On Memories of Chen Yinke, by Zhang Jie and Yang Yanli, Social Science Academy Press, ISBN 9787801491589
- Analysis of Chen Yinke, by Zhang Jie and Yang Yanli, Social Science Academy Press, ISBN 9787801491596
- Chronicles of Chen Yinke (revised), by Jiang Tianshu, Shanghai Ancient Book Press, 1997
- The Last 20 Years of Chen Yinke, by Lu Jiandong, 陆键东，《陈寅恪的最后二十年》，Linking Press, 1997
- Biography of Historian Chen YinKe, by Wang Rongzu, Peking University Press
- Who Wanted to Come to Taiwan? By Li Ao
- On Chen Yinke, By Yu Dawei et. Al.
- Explanation and Argumentations of Late Chen Yinke's Writtings, by Yu Yingshi, 1998
- Four Sirs in Late Qing Dynasty, by Gao Yang, Crown Press 1983
- The Family History of Chen Yinke, by Zhang Qiu Hui, Guangdong Education Press, 2000
[edit] Comments
- ^ <Reply to the China Academy of Sciences>, oral by Chen Yinke and edited by Wang Qian, December 1, 1953. With a copy in Zhongshan University Archives.
[edit] External links
