Jean Joseph Marie Amiot

Joseph -Marie Amiot ( born February 8, 1718, Toulon, † 8 or October 9, 1793 in Beijing) was a French Jesuit astronomer and historian.

Life

1737 Amiot entered the novitiate of the Jesuit Order and was given in December 1746 ordination in Lyon. During his training, he had expressed the wish to be sent as a missionary to China. This request was granted, and accompanied by two Chinese Jesuit novices he left the port of Lorient in December 1749 and reached Macao on 27 July 1750th The following year, he continued his journey to Beijing continued, where on 22 August 1751 he arrived and stayed until the end of his life.

At the court of the Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796), he worked in the Forbidden City as an astronomer and researcher. He was received, as it the antiquities, history, Manchurian language and arts of Chinese themed in all its publications and vividly described one of the first detailed by the Europe news about the peoples of East Asia. This also included a collection of transcriptions of Chinese flute music for the European recorder, " Airs chinois " called. In 1772, he translated " The Art of War " (Chinese孙子兵 法, " Sūnzǐ bīngfǎ " ) of Sun Tzu into French and thus made ​​this book under the title Treize Articles ( " Thirteen Articles " ) for the first time in Europe known.

At the age of 75 years died Joseph -Marie Amiot in 1793 as the last survivor of the Jesuit mission in China and took place at the Jesuit Cemetery in Beijing, his final resting place.

Works (selection)

  • Mémoires concernant l' histoire les sciences et les arts of Chinois. Nyon, Paris 1776-1814 (15 vols )
  • The Life of Confucius (Vol. 12 of the Mémoires sur les Chinois )
  • Dictionnaire francais - tatar - mantchou, Nyon, Paris 1789 ( 3 vols )
  • Grammaire de la langue tatare - mantchoue.
  • Mémoire sur la musique of Chinois, tant anciens que modernes. Minkoff, Geneva 1973 ( Repr ed d Paris 1779)
  • Eloge de la ville de Shenyang, translated from Chinese in 1770
  • Art militaire of Chinois, 1772; ouvrages plusieurs sur la typography et la Musique of Chinois
  • Divertissements ou de musique chinoise concerts, en deux fois trois cahiers, accompagnés d'un cahier de musique sacrée ( prières Catholiques en chinois mis en musique, à envoyés Mr. Bignon, bibliothécaire du Roi ) unpublished.
October 8 Jesuit China missions Integrated Authority File France
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