Wèi Jiàngōng 魏建功 was born in 1901 in Xīchǎng 西場, Rúgāo 如皋 county (today a part of Hǎi'ān 海安 county) in Jiāngsū province into a relatively wealthy and well-educated family. Fascinated by folk songs of his native area since childhood, this interest led him to study folklore. At the Nántōng Middle School (Nántōng zhōngxué 南通中學) he discovered his interest in philology and was introduced to etymology and Chinese sources, such as the Shuōwén jiězì 說文解字 and the Ěryǎ 爾雅. The recently established school offered a modernized and westernized curriculum, used English textbooks in som…
Wèi Jiàngōng 魏建功 (1901-1980)(2,239 words)
Cite this page
Mariana MÜNNING, “Wèi Jiàngōng 魏建功 (1901-1980)”, in: Encyclopedia of Chinese Language and Linguistics, General Editor Rint Sybesma. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2210-7363_ecll_COM_000183>
First published online: 2015
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