View source for Qian Xuantong

{{Short description|Chinese linguist and writer (1887–1939)}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Qian (surname)|Qian]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{infobox academic|
| image = Qian Xuantong.jpg
| birth_date = 1887
| birth_place = [[Huzhou]], Zhejiang
| death_date = 17 January 1939
| death_place =
| discipline  = [[Linguist]]
| workplaces = [[Peking University]]
| known_for = [[Simplified characters]], [[pinyin]]
| main_interests = [[Philology]], [[language planning]]
| school_tradition = [[Doubting Antiquity School]]
| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes |piccap=Qian Xuantong
| t=錢玄同 |s=钱玄同 |p=Qián Xuántóng |gr=Chyan Shyuantorng |w=Ch’ien Hsüan-t’ung |hide=no
| altname=Birth name|t2=錢夏 |s2=钱夏 |p2=Qián Xià |gr2=Chyan Shiah |w2=Ch'ien Hsia
| altname3=Courtesy name|t3=德潛 |s3=德潜 |p3=Déqián |gr3=Derchyan |w3=Te-ch'ien }}}}

'''Qian Xuantong''' (1887{{snd}}17 January 1939) was a Chinese linguist and writer considered to be a leading figure of the [[Doubting Antiquity School]], along with [[Gu Jiegang]]. He was a professor of literature at National Peking University.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=A Billion Voices|last=Moser|first=David|publisher=Penguin Books|year=2016|pages=34–36}}</ref>

==   Biography ==
Born in [[Huzhou, Zhejiang]], Qian was named Qian Xia at birth and was given the [[courtesy name]] Deqian. Qian trained in traditional Chinese [[philology]]. After receiving his university education in Japan, Qian held a number of teaching positions in mainland China. He was a student of [[Zhang Binglin]]; some of Zhang's works were copied and printed in Qian's [[seal script]] handwriting. As a philologist, Qian was the first to reconstruct the vowel system of [[Old Chinese]] in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]].

A close friend of [[Lu Xun]], Qian was a key figure in the [[May Fourth Movement]] and the [[New Culture Movement]]. Despite his close relationship with the Chinese classics, he promoted the abolition of [[Literary Chinese]]. He was also a strong supporter of [[Esperanto]], at one time even proposed the substitution of Chinese by it.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="DeFrancis">{{Citation
  | last = DeFrancis
  | first = John
  | author-link = John DeFrancis
  | title = Nationalism and Language Reform in China
  | publisher = Princeton University Press
  | year = 1950
  | url = http://www.pinyin.info/readings/texts/DeFr1950.html
  | chapter = chapter 4: One State, One People, One Language }}</ref> An open letter Qian wrote in response to an anti-Confucian essay by [[Chen Duxiu]] stated:<ref name=":0" />

{{Blockquote|text=Dear Mr. Chen, 
In an early essay of yours you strongly advocated the abolition of Confucianism. Concerning this proposal of yours I think that it is now the only way to save China. But upon reading it I have thought of one more thing: if you want to abolish Confucianism you must first abolish the Chinese [written] language. If you want to get rid of the average person's childish, uncivilized, obstinate way of thinking, then it is all the more essential that you first abolish the Chinese language. To abolish Confucianism and eliminate Taoism is a fundamental way to prevent the fall of China and to allow the Chinese to become a civilized nation in the twentieth century. But a more fundamental way than this is to abolish the written Chinese language, in which Confucian thoughts and fallacious Taoist sayings are recorded.|sign=|source=}}

Chen thought that abolishing written Chinese would destroy the spoken language as well, and he countered Qian's proposal by suggesting that Chinese could use a Roman alphabet.<ref name=":0" />

He and [[Liu Bannong]] promoted [[vernacular Chinese]], attacking classical stylists such as [[Lin Shu]]. His skepticism of the Chinese heritage was such that he at one time wanted to change his surname to Yigu ({{zhi|c=疑古|l=suspecting things ancient}}). He also did important work regarding standardization of [[simplified characters]], as well as the [[Standard Chinese]] dialect and the design of [[pinyin]].

His son [[Qian Sanqiang]] was a [[nuclear physics|nuclear physicist]] who was instrumental in China's early nuclear weapons program, sometimes referred to as the "father of the atomic bomb" for China.<ref name=":0b">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1826576|title=那年今日丨中国的"原子弹之父"钱三强诞生_科技湃_澎湃新闻-The Paper|website=www.thepaper.cn|access-date=2017-10-16}}</ref>

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}
=== Works cited ===
{{ref begin}}
* {{Cite book |last=He|given=Jiuying|year=1995|author-mask=He Jiuying (何九盈) |trans-title=A history of modern Chinese linguistics|script-title=zh:中囯现代语言学史|isbn=978-7-54063-859-7 |language=zh|publisher=Guangdong jiaoyu chubanshe|location=Guangzhou}}
*{{Cite book |last=Wu |first=Rui |author-mask=Wu Rui (吳銳)|year=1996 |publisher=Baihuazhou wenyi chubanshe |isbn=978-7-80579-516-4  |series=Guoxue dashi congshu |location=Nanchang|trans-title=A Biography of Qian Xuantong|lang=zh|script-title=zh:钱玄同评传}}
{{ref end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qian, Xuantong}}
[[Category:1887 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Beijing Normal University]]
[[Category:Chinese Esperantists]]
[[Category:Educators from Huzhou]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Peking University]]
[[Category:Phoneticians]]
[[Category:Scientists from Huzhou]]
[[Category:Writers from Huzhou]]
[[Category:20th-century Chinese linguists]]
[[Category:Chinese language reform]]