Qiu Xigui (1935-2025)
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Prof. Qiu Xigui 裘錫圭 has passed away today at the age of 89. His groundbreaking work on ancient Chinese scripts has significantly shaped the study of Chinese palaeography and grapholinguistics. A monumental loss for academia. https://t.co/Jn0aLn19kI pic.twitter.com/OmHxTgAqbz
— Maxim Persikov (Panates) (@gyankotsu) May 8, 2025
I was privileged to meet Qiu Xigui a quarter of a century ago when I went to China for the express purpose of consulting him concerning the authenticity of the Anau inscription (see "Selected readings" below). I remember that he was having severe eye problems, and I brought him some medicine that required refrigeration. As I gave it to him, I looked at his eyes carefully and recall how vital they were for the discernment that was necessary for the type of minute inspection that he was uniquely qualified to do. That special quality of his eyes is evident even in photographs of him at a youger age.
Selected readings
- "Qiu Xigui"
- Victor H. Mair, "Notes on the Anau Inscription", Sino-Platonic Papers, 112 (July, 2001), i-Xi, 1-93.
- Qiu Xigui, translated by Gilbert Louis Mattos and Jerry Norman. 2000. Chinese Writing. Vol. 4. Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of
California. - Zachary S. Hershey, "Power Shifts and Changing Scripts: The Development of the Sinographic Script through Media and Authority", Sino-Platonic Papers, 264 (December, 2016), 175-201. Qiu Xiqui's Chinese Writing was an important resource for this pathbreaking work on the material and political aspects of the development of the Sinographic script from its inception through its fundamental stabilization and standardization
[Thanks to Hiroshi Kumamoto]
Chris Button said,
May 9, 2025 @ 3:36 pm
One of the true greats.
I have on my shelf here his "collected works" in six hardback volumes.
Jonathan Smith said,
May 9, 2025 @ 8:33 pm
What a career; what a life.
translation of the posted notice to follow — NB this is the work of a human and thus may be largely accurate and idiomatic
—–
OBITUARY
On May 8th, 2025, at 1:45 AM, the esteemed QIU Xigui, renowned paleographer, philologist, historian, delegate at the 8th, 9th and 10th conventions of the National Political Consultative Conference, delegate at the 6th, 7th and 8th conventions of the Bejing Political Consultative Conference, and Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and in the Center for the Study of Excavated Texts and Paleography at Fudan University, passed away at the age of ninety as a result of illness unresponsive to treatment.
In accordance with Prof. QIU Xigui’s wishes, no funeral or memorial observation of any kind will be held.
—
obligatory linguistic note: b/c Chinese, the first element in the original is the subject NP, terminating with its head ("the esteemed QIU Xigui") 75% of the way through the first paragraph
Jonathan Smith said,
May 10, 2025 @ 11:40 pm
*additional language note: "终年90岁" is ambiguous and might be better rendered "lived to ninety years" or something. Qiu Xigui (13 July 1935 – 8 May 2025) was 89 reckoned to the day as noted in the linked Xcreta.
Michael Watts said,
May 11, 2025 @ 3:35 pm
Sounds like he was 90 reckoned 虚岁? I've had Chinese people report their own ages to me in 虚岁; considering how much classier 90 is than 89, I don't see why the obituary wouldn't report his age that way.
Jonathan Smith said,
May 11, 2025 @ 4:51 pm
Yes the Chinese obituary gives the "虚岁" = 90 reckoning which is indeed a nice round number; my first Eng. translation "passed away at the age of ninety" might be nitpicked as readers will consider that [90,91) year-units must have passed since his birth.
Jonathan Smith said,
May 11, 2025 @ 4:59 pm
also insert "at Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai" where you like it in the first sentence, or rearrange everything — translation hard it seems