Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat (5 September 1788 – 2 June 1832) was a French

sinologist Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...

best known as the first Chair of Sinology at the

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...

. Rémusat studied medicine as a young man, but his discovery of a Chinese herbal treatise enamored him with the

Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the ...

, and he spent five years teaching himself to read it. After publishing several well-received articles on Chinese topics, a chair in Chinese was created at the

in 1814 and Rémusat was placed in it.

Life and career

Rémusat was born in Paris on 5 September 1788 and was educated for the medical profession, earning a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in medicine in 1813.Honey (2001): 26. While studying medicine, Rémusat discovered a Chinese herbal treatise in the collection of the Abbé Tersan and was immediately fascinated by it. He taught himself to read it by tirelessly studying the traditional Chinese dictionary '' Zhengzitong''. In 1811, at the end of five years of study, he produced the work ''Essai sur la langue et la littérature chinoises (Essay on Chinese language and literature)'', and a paper on foreign languages among the Chinese, which procured him the patronage of Silvestre de Sacy. In 1813, Rémusat published an essay in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

on the nature of

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji ...

and

Classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...

entitled "Utrum Lingua Sinica sit vere monosyllabica? Disputatio philologica, in qua de Grammatica Sinica obiter agiture; autore Abelo de Remusat". Rémusat's early publications established his reputation in the academic community, and on November 29, 1814, a chair in Chinese was created for him at the

. This date, or, alternatively, the date of his inaugural lecture (January 16, 1815), has been termed "the birth-year of cademicsinology."Honey (2001): 27. Rémusat's course in Chinese at the Collège de France focused on lectures on grammar and the study of classical texts such as the '' Hallowed Documents (Shàngshū)'', the '' Laozi (Dao De Jing)'', the Nestorian Stele, and both Chinese and

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) an ...

editions of the accounts of the life of

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

. His lecture notes were eventually edited into book form, modeled on Joseph de Prémare's earlier grammar, and published in 1822 as ''Élémens de la grammaire chinoise, ou Principes généraux du Kou-wen ou style antique, et du Kouan-hou, c'est-à-dire, de la language commune généralement usitée dans l'empire chinois (Elements of Chinese Grammar, or General Principles of Gǔwén or Ancient Style, and of Guānhuà, that is to say, the Common Language Generally Used in the Chinese Empire)''.Honey (2001): 28. This work was the first scientific exposition of the Chinese language in Europe, and was later praised by

Henri Maspero Henri Paul Gaston Maspero (15 December 188317 March 1945) was a French sinologist and professor who contributed to a variety of topics relating to East Asia. Maspero is best known for his pioneering studies of Daoism. He was imprisoned by the Naz ...

as "the first orkin which the grammar was isolated to take account of the proper spirit of the Chinese language, and not just as a translation exercise where all the grammatical forms of the European languages ..imposed their individual patterns." Rémusat became an editor of the ''

Journal des savants A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization * Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, ...

'' in 1818, and founder and first secretary of the

Société asiatique The Société Asiatique (Asiatic Society) is a French learned society dedicated to the study of Asia. It was founded in 1822 with the mission of developing and diffusing knowledge of Asia. Its boundaries of geographic interest are broad, ranging ...

at Paris in 1822; he also held various Government appointments. In 1826, Rémusat published ''Iu-kiao-li, ou les deux cousines, roman chinois'' (''Yu Jiao Li'', titled in English as '' Iu-kiao-li: or, the Two Fair Cousins''), one of the first Chinese novels known in Europe (the Chinese original is a minor work, though). It was read by

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

and

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, ; ), was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de ...

. A list of his works is given in Quérard's ''France littéraire'' s.v. Rémusat. His letters to

Wilhelm von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named afte ...

are also of interest. In 1829, he was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. Around 1830 Rémusat was commissioned to inventory the Chinese items held in the French Royal Library, which inspired him to begin a translation of the bibliographical sections of the ''

Wenxian tongkao The ''Wenxian Tongkao'' () or ''Tongkao'' was one of the model works of the '' Tongdian'' compiled by Ma Duanlin in 1317, during the Yuan Dynasty. References *Dong, Enlin, et al. (2002). ''Historical Literature and Cultural Studies''. Wuhan: Hube ...

'' to assist European scholars in studying Chinese scholarship.Honey (2001): 29. He completed the first volume, "Classics", in 1832, but contracted

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...

and died before it was printed. Rémusat is buried along with his wife Jenny Lecamus – the daughter of Jean Lecamus, a former mayor of Paris – near the church of St. Fargeau in

Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Demographics Inhabitants of Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry are called ''Thierrypontains" or "Ferréopontains''. See also ...

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

Selected works

* * ''Recherches sur les langues tartares ou Mémoires sur différents points de la grammaire et de la littérature des Mandchous, des Mongols, des Ouigours et des Tibétains ,'' 1820. Downloadable from

* ''Note sur quelques épithétes descriptives du Bouddha''. Journ. des Sav., 1819, p. 625. * ''Description du royaume de Cambodge par un voyageur chinois qui a visité cette contrée à la fin du XIII siècle, précédée d'une notice chronologique sur ce même pays, extraite des annales de la Chine''. Imprimerie de J. Smith, 1819. * ''Histoire de la ville de Khotan: tirée des annales de la chine et traduite du chinois ; Suivie de Recherches sur la substance minérale appelée par les Chinois PIERRE DE IU, et sur le Jaspe des anciens''. Paris. L’imprimerie de doublet. 1820. Downloadable from

* ''Sur la succession des 33 premiers patriarches de la religion de Bouddha''. Journ. des Sav., 1821, p. 4. * Abel-Rémusat et Humboldt, ''Lettres édifiantes et curieuses sur la langue chinoise'', 1821–1831 * ''Les élémens de la grammaire chinoise'', 1822 * ''Aperçu d'un Mémoire sur l'origine de la Hiérarchie Lamaique''. Journ. As., Vol. IV., 1824, p. 257. * ''Mélanges Asiatiques, ou Choix de morceaux de critique, et de mémoires relatifs aux religions, aux. sciences, à l'histoire, et à la géographie des nations orientales''. Vols. I. and II., Paris, 1825. * ''Iu-Kiao-Li'' (''Les Deux Cousines''), Paris, 1826. * ''Nouveaux Mélanges Asiatiques, ou Recueil de morceaux critiques et de mémoires relatifs aux religions, aux sciences, aux coutumes, à l'histoire et à la géographie des nations orientales; '' vol. I. et II, 1829. * ''Observations sur trois Mémoires de De Guignes insérés dans le tome XI. de la Collection de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, et relatifs à la religion samanéenne''. Nouv. Journ. As., 2e série, Vol. VII. (1831), pp. 265, 269, 301. * ''Observations sur Histoire des Mongols orientaux, de Ssanang-Ssetsen''. Paris, 1832. * ''Foé Koué Ki; ou, Relations des royaumes bouddhiques: voyage dans la Tartarie, dans l'Afghanistan et dans l'Inde, exécuté, à la fin du IVe siècle, par Chy Fa Hian. Traduit du Chinois et Commenté par M. Abel Rémusat. Ouvrage Posthume. Revu, Complété, et Augmenté d'Éclaircissements Nouveaux Par MM.'' Julius Klaproth, Klaproth ''et Landresse''. Paris, l'Imprimerie Royale, 1836. The original Chinese title is . * ''Mémoires sur un voyage dans l'Asie Centrale, dans le pays des Afghans, et des Beloutches, et dans l'Inde, exécuté à la fin du IVe Síècele de notre ère par plusieurs Samanéens de Chine''. Mém. de l'Inst. royal de France, Acad. d. inscr. 1838, p. 343. * ''Mélanges posthumes d'histoire et de littérature orientales''. Paris, 1843. Much of the bibliography above has been drawn from Emil Schlagintweit, ''Buddhism in Tibet'', Appendix A, 1863. In addition, Rémusat's practical and scholarly contributions in bringing the Dutch Japanologist

Isaac Titsingh Isaac Titsingh FRS ( January 1745 – 2 February 1812) was a Dutch diplomat, historian, Japanologist, and merchant.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Isaak Titsingh" in . During a long career in East Asia, Titsingh was a senior official of the ...

's unfinished manuscripts to posthumous publication deserve acknowledgment. These works include ''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the '' American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

'' (, ''"Table of the rulers of Japan"''), and also: * Rémusat, A., éditeur. ''Mémoires et Anecdotes sur la Dynastie régnante des Djogouns, Souverains du Japon, avec la description des fêtes et cérémonies observées aux différentes époques de l'année à la Cour de ces Princes, et un appendice contenant des détails sur la poésie des Japonais, leur manière de diviser l'année, etc.; Ouvrage orné de Planches gravées et coloriées, tiré des Originaux Japonais par M. Isaac Titsingh; publié avec des Notes et Eclaircissemens Par M. Abel Rémusat.'' Paris (Nepveu), 1820.

References

;Footnotes ;Works cited * ;Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abel-Remusat, Jean-Pierre Collège de France faculty Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres French sinologists Members of the Société Asiatique Linguists from France 1788 births 1832 deaths Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales alumni