Henri Maspero
Encyclopedia
Henri Maspero was a French
sinologist, today particularly remembered for his pioneering works on Taoism
.
) in Egypt
, and later published the study Les Finances de l'Egypte sous les Lagides. After returning to Paris
in 1907, he studied the Chinese language
under Édouard Chavannes
and law at Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
. In 1908, he went to Hanoi
, studying at the École française d'Extrême-Orient
.
In 1918 he succeeded Chavannes in the Chair of Chinese at the Collège de France
. He published his monumental La Chine Antique in 1927. During the following years he replaced Marcel Granet
for the chair of Chinese civilisation at Sorbonne
, directed the department of Chinese religions at the École Pratique des Hautes Études
, and was selected a member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres
.
Accused by the occupying German force of involvement with the French Resistance
he was interned in Buchenwald concentration camp
during the Second World War, where he died.
Besides his pioneering works on Chinese history and religions, he also made great contributions to historical Chinese phonology
for his works Le dialecte de Tch'ang-ngan sous les T'ang (1920) and Préfixes et dérivation en chinois archaïque (1930).
His Le Taoïsme et les religions chinoises was published in 1971 as Volume II of his Mélanges posthumes. It was published in English (as translated by Frank A. Kierman, Jr.) in 1981 under the title Taoism and Chinese Religion, in nine Books:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sinologist, today particularly remembered for his pioneering works on Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
.
Biography
After studies in history and literature, in 1905 he joined his father (Egyptologist Gaston MasperoGaston Maspero
Gaston Camille Charles Maspero was a French Egyptologist.-Life:Gaston Maspero was born in Paris to parents of Lombard origin. While at school he showed a special taste for history, and by the age of fourteen he was already interested in hieroglyphic writing...
) in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and later published the study Les Finances de l'Egypte sous les Lagides. After returning to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1907, he studied the Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
under Édouard Chavannes
Édouard Chavannes
Édouard Chavannes was a French sinologist.He is best known for his translations from Sima Qian's Shiji , sections of the Hou Hanshu relating to the 'Western Regions', the Weilüe, his studies of Han dynasty stone carvings Édouard Chavannes (Chinese: ) (1865–1918) was a French sinologist.He is best...
and law at Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
The Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales is located in Paris, France. It was founded in 1795 after the French Revolution and is now one of the country's Grands établissements with a specialization in African, Asian, East European, Oceanian languages and civilisations...
. In 1908, he went to Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, studying at the École française d'Extrême-Orient
École française d'Extrême-Orient
The École française d'Extrême-Orient is a French institute dedicated to the study of Asian societies. Translated into English, it approximately means the French School of the Far East. It was founded in 1900 with headquarters in Hanoi in what was then French Indochina. After independence, its...
.
In 1918 he succeeded Chavannes in the Chair of Chinese at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
. He published his monumental La Chine Antique in 1927. During the following years he replaced Marcel Granet
Marcel Granet
Marcel Granet was a French sociologist, ethnologist and sinologist. As a follower of Émile Durkheim and Édouard Chavannes, Granet was one of the first to bring sociological methods to the study of China...
for the chair of Chinese civilisation at Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, directed the department of Chinese religions at the École Pratique des Hautes Études
École pratique des hautes études
The École pratique des hautes études is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions....
, and was selected a member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres is a French learned society devoted to the humanities, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France.-History:...
.
Accused by the occupying German force of involvement with the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
he was interned in Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
during the Second World War, where he died.
Besides his pioneering works on Chinese history and religions, he also made great contributions to historical Chinese phonology
Historical Chinese phonology
Historical Chinese phonology deals with reconstructing the sounds of Chinese from the past. As Chinese is written with logographic characters, not alphabetic or syllabary, the methods employed in Historical Chinese phonology differ considerably from those employed in, for example, Indo-European...
for his works Le dialecte de Tch'ang-ngan sous les T'ang (1920) and Préfixes et dérivation en chinois archaïque (1930).
His Le Taoïsme et les religions chinoises was published in 1971 as Volume II of his Mélanges posthumes. It was published in English (as translated by Frank A. Kierman, Jr.) in 1981 under the title Taoism and Chinese Religion, in nine Books:
- Book I : "Chinese Religion in Its Historical Development"
- Book II : "The Mythology of Modern China"
- Book III : "The Society and Religion of the Ancient Chinese and of the Modern Tai"
- Book IV : "How Buddhism was Introduced into China"
- Book V : "Taoism in Chinese Religious Beliefs of the Six Dynasties Period"
- Book VI : "The Poet Hsi K'ang and the Club of Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove"
- Book VII : "An Essay on Taoism in the First Centuries A. D.", in 4 parts :
- Part 1 : "Individual Religious Life and the Search for Immortality"
- Part 2 : "Taoist Communities and Public Worship"
- Part 3 : "Taoism and the Beginnings of Buddhism in China"
- Part 4 : "The Origins and Development of the Taoist Religion up to the Han Period"
- Book VIII : "How to Communicate with the Taoist Gods"
- Book IX : "Methods of "Nourishing the Vital Principle" in the Ancient Taoist Religion", in 3 parts :-
- Part 1 : "Breathing Techniques"
- Part 2 : "Methods of Uniting Yin and Yang to Nourish the Vital Principle"
- Part 3 : "Gymnastics, Tao-yin"
External links
- Some of his works are available free online courtesy of the Université du Québec à ChicoutimiUniversité du Québec à ChicoutimiThe Université du Québec à Chicoutimi is a branch of the Université du Québec founded in 1969 and based in the Chicoutimi borough of Saguenay, Quebec. UQAC has secondary study centers in La Malbaie, Saint-Félicien, Alma and Sept-Îles...