Events

As one of the “Four Great Masters of Tsinghua University” and a versatile genius in many fields, Prof. Yuen Ren Chao is known for having unparalleled enthusiasm and achievements in modern Chinese linguistics, along with a rare talent for music and scholarly wit. His life was like ‘a work of art’ (Mary Hass) and his research encompassed ‘a broad multi-disciplinary perspective’ (William S-Y. Wang). Professor Chao’s exemplary research and charismatic personality have influenced and continue to influence many scholars in various academic fields.

To mark the 130^th anniversary of Prof. Chao’s birth, the Renwen Society presents a lecture on November 5 on the great legend by Dr. Liwei Jiao, a scholar and translator of Ruen Ren Chao. Using original texts and soundtracks drawn mainly from his oral history, this lecture will showcase Prof. Chao’s extraordinary academic and personal life through much of the turbulent twentieth century.

Dr. Liwei Jiao is currently a Senior Lecturer of East Asian Studies at Brown University. He has taught Chinese since 1998, including at Renmin University of China, Durham University in England, and the University of Pennsylvania. Among his many publications are the Chinese translation of Prof. Yuen Ren Chao’s oral history and a series of bilingual dictionaries on Chinese idioms, proverbs, and language and culture. He is the author of the entry on Prof. Yuen Ren Chao in the Encyclopedia of China (3^rd edition).

赵元任先生是清华国学院四大导师之一、中国现代语言学之父。但是，他的成就远远超出语言学范围。他的音乐成就得到中国现代音乐之父萧友梅的高度赞赏，萧友梅称赵元任为“中国的舒伯特”。他是第二批庚子赔款留美学生（1910年）之一，在包括胡适、竺可桢等一众精英中成绩高居第二名。他在康奈尔大学的本科专业是物理学，大学期间与同学发起中国科学社并成为《科学》杂志早期最重要的撰稿人之一。他在哈佛大学获得哲学博士学位，与英国哲学家罗素有几十年的交往。他是长跑健将、天文学的终身爱好者、音乐数字化的大力提倡者。他与毛泽东、周恩来、邓小平、蒋介石、蒋经国、美国总统罗斯福的夫人等政要都有接触。他是胡适最佩服的人也是胡适最好的朋友之一。他与夫人杨步伟医生可谓神仙眷侣，他们的四个女儿都卓有成就。

赵元任先生诞辰130周年之际，华美人文学会特邀最早把赵元任先生的英文口述历史翻译成中文的译者、《中国大百科全书》第三版“赵元任”条目的撰稿人焦立为博士于2022年11月5日晚8时至9时半（北京时间11月6日早8时至9时半）做“旷世通才赵元任”专题讲座。焦博士将利用很多第一手资料，借助原始音档和稀见的图片，详细地讲述赵元任先生的生平、社会交往和心路历程，展现通才赵元任先生丰富多彩的一生以及巨大的人格魅力。