Gustaaf Schlegel
Encyclopedia
Gustaaf Schlegel [or Gustav Schlegel] (1840-1903) was a Dutch
sinologist and field naturalist
.
—a native of Saxony
who had moved to the Netherlands in 1827 to work at the natural history museum of Leiden
and became its second director—, Gustaaf begun to study Chinese at the age of 9 with Leiden japanologist J. J. Hoffmann initially, it seems, without the knowledge of his parents. Gustaaf made his first trip to China in 1857 in order to collect bird specimens, but his notoriety as naturalist was overshadowed by that of Robert Swinhoe
who completed much field work in China ahead of Schlegel.
In 1861, after having learned the Fuzhou dialect
, he moved to Canton to study Cantonese
. In 1862, Schlegel took a job as an interpreter for the supreme court of the colonial government of Batavia
. While working on this job, in 1866 he published a monograph on the Tiandihui
(Heaven and Earth Society)—the first on the topic in Dutch—, and another one on prostitution
in Canton
. In 1869 he was awarded a doctorate from the University of Jena; his thesis was on the customs and pastimes of the Chinese, but this writing was apparently a formality because his reputation had been established by his previous publications.
Schlegel fell seriously ill in 1872 and was granted two years' sick leave to Holland. On his return, Hoffmannn met him and asked Schlegel to take his place in educating Dutch-Chinese translators. Schlegel accepted, and in 1873 he pursued the matter further writing a pro domo letter to the Colonial Minister, asking for the government to establish a university position. He was successful, and in 1875 was appointed as an "extraordinary professor" of Chinese at Leiden University
, on the first position of its kind, and advanced to full professor in 1877.
In 1878 he married Catharina Elisabeth Gezina Buddingh. They had no children and divorced in 1890. The last years of his life were significantly affected by diabetes, as a result of which he lost sight in both eyes. He retired in 1902 and died next year. His chair at Leiden remained vacant until 1904 when Jan Jakob Maria de Groot
accepted the position.
as well.
Schlegel's magnum opus
was his Dutch-Chinese dictionary, published in 4 volumes between 1882-1891. It won international acclaim, including the Prix Stanislas Julien
(1887). Although the German press even bracketed this work in the same category of achievements as the Forth Bridge
and the Eiffel Tower
, it had little impact outside Dutch sinology. The publisher, Brill
, had apparently printed more copies than were ever ordered, and these were shredded only in 1975. Despite Schlegel's pleas, Dutch did not become a language of international scientific exchange in his field. (C.F.M. de Grijs, a contemporary colleague of Schlegel is almost totally forgotten today because he only published in Dutch.)
Perhaps Schlegel's most lasting contribution is the founding in 1890, together with Henri Cordier
, of the journal T'oung Pao
, providing a joint publishing venue for the then leading Sinological centers of Europe. This journal has remained a leading Sinology journal to present times.
He is also credited for being the first European to amply document the Chinese origins of gunpowder
.
Schlegel also wrote extensively on the geographical accounts found in Chines historical texts like the Book of Liang
. His articles on this theme were published in T'oung Pao, initially in French in a series entitled Problèmes Géographiques: Les Peuples Étrangers Chez Les Historiens Chinois, and later continued in English as Geographical Notes. The first article in this series was on Fusang
. His articles on ancient Chinese geography were later collected and republished as standalone books.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
sinologist and field naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
.
Life and career
Son of Hermann SchlegelHermann Schlegel
Hermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist and herpetologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history...
—a native of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
who had moved to the Netherlands in 1827 to work at the natural history museum of Leiden
Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie
The Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie was a museum in Leiden, The Netherlands. It was founded in 1820 by Royal Decree, formed from a merger of several existing collections. This happened at the instigation of Coenraad Jacob Temminck, who saw the museum primarily as a research institute...
and became its second director—, Gustaaf begun to study Chinese at the age of 9 with Leiden japanologist J. J. Hoffmann initially, it seems, without the knowledge of his parents. Gustaaf made his first trip to China in 1857 in order to collect bird specimens, but his notoriety as naturalist was overshadowed by that of Robert Swinhoe
Robert Swinhoe
Robert Swinhoe FRS , was an English naturalist who worked as a Consul in Formosa. He discovered many Southeast Asian birds and several, such as Swinhoe's Pheasant, are named after him.-Biography:...
who completed much field work in China ahead of Schlegel.
In 1861, after having learned the Fuzhou dialect
Fuzhou dialect
Fuzhou dialect , also known as Foochow dialect, Foochow, Foochowese, Fuzhounese, or Fuzhouhua, is considered the standard dialect of Min Dong, which is a branch of Min Chinese mainly spoken in the eastern part of Fujian Province. Native speakers also call it ' , meaning the language spoken in...
, he moved to Canton to study Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
. In 1862, Schlegel took a job as an interpreter for the supreme court of the colonial government of Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
. While working on this job, in 1866 he published a monograph on the Tiandihui
Tiandihui
The Tiandihui is a fraternal organization that originated in China. The Hongmen grouping is today more or less synonymous with the whole Tiandihui concept, although the title "Hongmen" is also claimed by some criminal groups.As the Tiandihui spread through different counties and provinces, it...
(Heaven and Earth Society)—the first on the topic in Dutch—, and another one on prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
in Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. In 1869 he was awarded a doctorate from the University of Jena; his thesis was on the customs and pastimes of the Chinese, but this writing was apparently a formality because his reputation had been established by his previous publications.
Schlegel fell seriously ill in 1872 and was granted two years' sick leave to Holland. On his return, Hoffmannn met him and asked Schlegel to take his place in educating Dutch-Chinese translators. Schlegel accepted, and in 1873 he pursued the matter further writing a pro domo letter to the Colonial Minister, asking for the government to establish a university position. He was successful, and in 1875 was appointed as an "extraordinary professor" of Chinese at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
, on the first position of its kind, and advanced to full professor in 1877.
In 1878 he married Catharina Elisabeth Gezina Buddingh. They had no children and divorced in 1890. The last years of his life were significantly affected by diabetes, as a result of which he lost sight in both eyes. He retired in 1902 and died next year. His chair at Leiden remained vacant until 1904 when Jan Jakob Maria de Groot
Jan Jakob Maria de Groot
Jan Jakob Maria de Groot was a Dutch Sinologist and historian of religion. He taught at Leyden and later in Berlin, and is chiefly remembered for his monumental work, The Religious System of China, Its Ancient Forms, Evolution, History and Present Aspect, Manners, Customs and Social Institutions...
accepted the position.
Works and legacy
Schlegel's 1866 monograph on the Heaven and Earth Society is considered the major breakthrough in its study, even in 21st century scholarship. Schlegel was fortunate that he had access to secret writings that had been seized by the police. Its impact extended beyond Dutch colonies; it was frequently cited in the writings of colonial officers in British MalayaBritish Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
as well.
Schlegel's magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
was his Dutch-Chinese dictionary, published in 4 volumes between 1882-1891. It won international acclaim, including the Prix Stanislas Julien
Prix Stanislas Julien
The Prix Stanislas Julien is a prize for a sinological work published in the previous year. It is named after the French sinologist, Stanislas Julien, and is awarded by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. The prize was established in 1872 and first awarded in 1875.- Prize winners :...
(1887). Although the German press even bracketed this work in the same category of achievements as the Forth Bridge
Forth Bridge
The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 kilometres west of central Edinburgh. It was opened on 4 March 1890, and spans a total length of...
and the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
, it had little impact outside Dutch sinology. The publisher, Brill
Brill Publishers
Brill is an international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, the Netherlands. With offices in Leiden and Boston, Brill today publishes more than 134 journals and around 600 new books and reference works each year...
, had apparently printed more copies than were ever ordered, and these were shredded only in 1975. Despite Schlegel's pleas, Dutch did not become a language of international scientific exchange in his field. (C.F.M. de Grijs, a contemporary colleague of Schlegel is almost totally forgotten today because he only published in Dutch.)
Perhaps Schlegel's most lasting contribution is the founding in 1890, together with Henri Cordier
Henri Cordier
Henri Cordier was a French linguist, historian, ethnographer, author, editor and Orientalist. He was President of the Société de Géographie in Paris.-Early life:...
, of the journal T'oung Pao
T'oung Pao
T’oung Pao , founded in 1890, is the first international journal of sinology.It was originally named T’oung Pao ou Archives pour servir à l’étude de l’histoire, des langues, la geographie et l’ethnographie de l’Asie Orientale . It is published by the Leiden publisher E. J...
, providing a joint publishing venue for the then leading Sinological centers of Europe. This journal has remained a leading Sinology journal to present times.
He is also credited for being the first European to amply document the Chinese origins of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
.
Schlegel also wrote extensively on the geographical accounts found in Chines historical texts like the Book of Liang
Book of Liang
The Book of Liang , was compiled under Yao Silian, completed in 635. The book heavily relied on his father, Yao Ca's original manuscript, as his comments were quoted in several chapters....
. His articles on this theme were published in T'oung Pao, initially in French in a series entitled Problèmes Géographiques: Les Peuples Étrangers Chez Les Historiens Chinois, and later continued in English as Geographical Notes. The first article in this series was on Fusang
Fusang
Fusang or Fousang refers to several different entities in ancient Chinese literature, often either a mythological tree or a mysterious land to the East....
. His articles on ancient Chinese geography were later collected and republished as standalone books.