Richard Wilhelm (sinologist)
Richard Wilhelm | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||
| Born | 10 May 1873 | ||||||||
| Died | 2 March 1930 (aged 56) | ||||||||
| Known for | I Ching (Yi jing) translation | ||||||||
| Children | Hellmut Wilhelm | ||||||||
| Scientific career | |||||||||
| Fields | Chinese literature | ||||||||
| Institutions | University of Frankfurt | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 衛禮賢 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 卫礼贤 | ||||||||
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Richard Wilhelm (10 May 1873 – 2 March 1930) was a German sinologist, theologian and missionary.
Life[change | change source]
He lived in China for 25 years, he became fluent in spoken and written Chinese, and grew to love and admire the Chinese people. He is best known for his translations of philosophical works from Chinese into German, which have been translated into other major languages of the world, including English. His translation of the I Ching is still known as one of the finest. Also known for his translation of The Secret of the Golden Flower. Carl Jung, was a personal friend of Wilhelm.[1]
"Wilhelm was a truly religious spirit, with an unclouded and far-sighted view of things. He had the gift of being able to listen without bias to the revelations of a foreign mentality, and to accomplish that miracle of empathy which enabled him to make the intellectual treasures of China accessible to Europe...he could not help recognizing the logic and clarity of Chinese thought... it had overwhelmed him and assimilated him.
— C.G. Jung"[2]
Lau Nui Suan introduced Wilhelm to Chinese yoga philosophy and the psychology of the I Ching.[2]
Family and friends[change | change source]
His son Hellmut Wilhelm was also a sinologist, and was professor of Chinese at the University of Washington. Wilhelm was a close friend of the renowned Chinese educator and diplomat Dr. Li Linsi.[3]
Richard Wilhelm Translation Centre[change | change source]
The Richard Wilhelm Translation Centre at Ruhr-Universität Bochum was founded in 1993 by Helmut Martin.[4]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Richard Wilhelm at School of Wisdom
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Aniela Jaffe (1961) Memories, Dreams, Reflections by C.G. Jung, translated by Richard and Clara Winston, page 375
- ↑ Taylor, Wong. "Rediscovering a Chinese legend: The untold wartime tale of Dr Li Linsi". China Daily.
- ↑ Busche, Christian; Schiller, Beate. "The Richard Wilhelm Translation Centre". www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
