Derk Bodde

Derk Bodde ( born March 9, 1909 in Brant Rock Massachusetts, USA; † 3 November 2003 in German Town, Pennsylvania, United States) was an American sinologist and historian of China. He translated the (older) history of Chinese philosophy of the Chinese philosopher Feng Youlan and Yanjing Suishi ji from Dun Lichen ( 1855-1911 ) into English. From him comes an important study on the chancellor Li Si from the time of the Qin Dynasty. Bodde has taught at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Life

Derk Bodde's father Theodore Bodde immigrated in 1901 from Holland to the United States. Theodore Bodde was an electrical engineer by profession and was invited by the Jiao Tong Daxue to work as a lecturer there. In 1919, the family traveled to Shanghai Bodde. They stayed there a total of three years from 1919 to 1922.

In 1922 she returned to the United States. Derk Bodde then published his first article at age 13 in St. Nicholas Magazine.

1930 ended Derk Bodde successfully be studied English literature at Harvard University and wrote directly for further studies at the Harvard - Yenching Institute, a.

With the completion of the first year Derk Bodde was then the Harvard - Yenching Fellowship and then went from 1931 to 1937 in Beijing.

In his second year abroad, 1932/33, Bodde wrote two articles, one of which then also a published: A Perplexing Passage in the Confucian Analects.

Derk Bodde 1934 took a philosophy course at Feng Youlan. He published in 1934 his most important work: history of Chinese philosophy. During his time in Beijing Bodde translated other works. One is the translation of Dun Lichens Annual Customs and Festivals in Peking.

In Beijing, he also met his wife Galia Speshneff. She was Russian immigrant from Vladivostok. She and her family fled because of the Russian Revolution to China. He married Galia Speshneff 1935.

Derk Bodde 1935 met the Dutch sinologist Jan JL Duyvendak. This made ​​Bodde then the offer to do a doctorate in Leiden Holland. Bodde accepted the offer. The basis for his thesis put Bodde already in Beijing. These were the translations of biographies from the Shiji.

Derk Bodde then in 1937 traveled with his wife to Leiden Holland and finished his doctoral thesis: China 's First Unifier: A Study of the Ch'in Dynasty as Seen in the Life of Li Ssu ( 280-208 BC ).

After receiving his doctorate in Holland Derk Bodde returns to the United States. There he worked as a lecturer for the Oriental Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania. His teaching he also retained until his retirement in 1975. 1946-47 Bodde invited the Chinese philosopher Feng Youlan us as guest lecturers. Feng Youlan held two semesters lectures on Chinese philosophy and classic Chinese. Bodde took the opportunity to continue working on the translation of the second part of the history of Chinese philosophy. Derk Bodde published in 1953 then its translation, which he completed with assistance from the author.

Derk Bodde 1948 received a Fulbright scholarship and goes for a year to Beijing. During his stay in Beijing, it came to the assumption of power by the communists. Nevertheless, Derk Bodde decided to stay to be part of this historic moment here in Beijing. He collected newspaper articles, interviewed locals and wrote down his impressions. All his notes he used then for another book: " Beijing Diary, A Year of Revolution."

1949 Bodde returned back to the U.S.. 1950 Bodde was appointed professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

In the 1950s - 60s, Bodde dealt with the Chinese legal system. In cooperation with the legal institution it came to the development of a course on Chinese law and a close collaboration between Derk Bodde and Clarence Morris, professor of law. The result was a book about the legal system in the Qing Dynasty.

1974 Bodde received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He traveled to England to work on the book series Science and Civilisation in China by Joseph Needham. He stayed for three years at Cambridge.

Derk Bodde 1975 went into retirement.

In 1980 he was invited to teach the first Dr. Sun Yat-sen Distinguished Visiting Professor of Chinese Studies at Georgetown University as a visiting professor.

On 3 November 2003, Derk Bodde died with 94 years in German Town Pennsylvania.

Derk Bodde wrote 96 books and articles and wrote 75 more book reviews.

Works

• Annual Customs and Festivals in Beijing, As Recorded in the Yenching Sui -shih -chi. By doing Li- ch'en. Translated and annotated by Derk Bodde. Henri Vetch, Peiping 1936.
• A History of Chinese Philosophy, vol I: The Period of the Philosophers (from the beginnings to circa 100 BC ). By Fung Yu -lan. Translated by Derk Bodde with introduction, notes, bibliography and index. Henri Vetch, Peiping, 1937.
• China 's First Unifier: A Study of the Ch'in Dynasty as Seen in the Life of Li Ssu (280 -208 BC? ). Sinica Leidensia Series, Vol III. E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1938.
• Beijing Diary, A Year of Revolution. Henry Schuman, New York, 1950.
• A History of Chinese Philosophy, Vol II: The Period of Classical Learning (from the second century BC to the twentieth century AD). By Fung Yu -lan. Translated by Derk Bodde with introduction, notes, bibliography and index. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1953.
• Law in Imperial China, Exemplified by 190 Ch'ing Dynasty Cases. . . with Historical, Social, and Judicial Commentaries. By Derk Bodde and Clarence Morris. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.. In 1967.
• Festivals in Classical China, New Year and Other Annual Observances falling on the Han Dynasty, 206 BC- AD 220 Princeton University Press and Chinese University of Hong Kong, Princeton and Hong Kong in 1975.