Pyotr Kafarov
Encyclopedia
Pyotr Ivanovich Kafarov (Pre-reform Russian: Петръ Ива́новичъ Кафа́ровъ) (Modern Russian: Пётр Ива́нович Кафа́ров), also known by his monastic name Palladius (Pre-reform Russian: Палла́дій) (Modern Russian: Палла́дий), (1817, Chistopol
– 1878), was an early Russian sinologist
.
Kafarov was born in the family of an Orthodox
priest
. He studied in Kazan
seminary
and Saint-Petersbourg Academy, from which was sent to the Russian Orthodox
Mission
in China.
Like his teacher Ioakinf Bichurin, Palladius was a Russian Orthodox monk. During his stay in China, he discovered and published many invaluable manuscripts, including The Secret History of the Mongols
.
More than three decades Archimandrite
Palladius headed the Russian Orthodox mission in China and held ethnographic and linguistic research there.
Kafarov has designed a Cyrillization
system for the Chinese language
, known as the Palladius system. This system has remained the basis for official transcription of Chinese personal and geographical names in Russia ever since.
The Chinese-Russian Dictionary composed by Archimandrite
Palladius remains a well-known scientific work even today.
Chistopol
Chistopol is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Kuybyshev Reservoir, on the Kama River. Population: It is served by the Chistopol Airport.-History:It was first mentioned in chronicles at the end of the 17th century...
– 1878), was an early Russian sinologist
Sinology
Sinology in general use is the study of China and things related to China, but, especially in the American academic context, refers more strictly to the study of classical language and literature, and the philological approach...
.
Kafarov was born in the family of an Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
. He studied in Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
and Saint-Petersbourg Academy, from which was sent to the Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
Mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
in China.
Like his teacher Ioakinf Bichurin, Palladius was a Russian Orthodox monk. During his stay in China, he discovered and published many invaluable manuscripts, including The Secret History of the Mongols
The Secret History of the Mongols
The Secret History of the Mongols is the oldest surviving Mongolian-language literary work...
.
More than three decades Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
Palladius headed the Russian Orthodox mission in China and held ethnographic and linguistic research there.
Kafarov has designed a Cyrillization
Cyrillization
A Cyrillization is a system for rendering words of a language that normally uses a writing system other than the Cyrillic alphabet into a Cyrillic alphabet. A Cyrillization scheme needs to be applied, for example, to transcribe names of German, Chinese, or American people and places for use in...
system for 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...
, known as the Palladius system. This system has remained the basis for official transcription of Chinese personal and geographical names in Russia ever since.
The Chinese-Russian Dictionary composed by Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
Palladius remains a well-known scientific work even today.
See also
- Cyrillization of ChineseCyrillization of ChineseThe Cyrillization of Chinese is effected using the Palladius system for transcribing Chinese characters into the Cyrillic alphabet. It was created by Pyotr Ivanovich Kafarov , a Russian sinologist and monk who spent 30 years in China and was also known by his monastic name Palladius...
- «Elucidations of the Marco Polo’s Travels in North-China» («Journal of the North-China Branch of the R. As. Soc.», vol. X, 1876)
- «The Road from Beijing to Blagoveschinsk» (The journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London, Volume 42, J. Murray, 1872)