Chen Daqi (1886–1983), or Ch'en Ta-ch'i, was a psychologist, philosopher, politician, and writer. He was a pioneer of modern

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

in China. Chen was a former President of

Zhejiang University Zhejiang University, abbreviated as ZJU or Zheda and formerly romanized as Chekiang University, is a national public research university based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is a member of the prestigious C9 League and is selected into the na ...

, and acting President of

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...

Biography

Chen was born in Haiyan County,

Zhejiang Province Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiangs ...

in 1886. His

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

was Bainian (百年). Chen finished his elementary study in a local school of his hometown, and studied English in Shanghai. In 1901, Chen entered Zhejiang

Qiushi Academy The former site of Qiushi Academy () is historic site protected as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. The site was made a college campus by Hangzhou mayor Lin Qi in 1897 and became the oldest campus of Zhejiang U ...

(current

) in

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

. In 1903, Chen went to study in Japan. Chen first studied in

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

, but later entered the Tokyo Imperial University (now the

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

). Chen studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, majored in

, and graduated BA in 1912. In 1912, Chen went back to China after graduation. From 1912 to 1913, Chen was the president of Zhejiang Advanced College (浙江高等学校; current Zhejiang University) in Hangzhou. Chen was also a professor of Zhejiang School of Law and Politics (浙江(私立)法政专门学校). Chen was a strong supporter of

May Fourth Movement The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) to protest the Chinese ...

. He was also a close friend of

Lu Xun Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. W ...

. From 1922 to 1927, Chen was a professor, the head of the Department of Philosophy of Peking University in Beijing. From 1927 to Jan 1928, Chen was the Provost of Peking University. From 6 Nov 1928 to 30 Dec 1929, Chen was the

Secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

Examination Yuan The Examination Yuan is the civil service commission branch, in charge of validating the qualification of civil servants, of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It has a president, a vice president, and seven to nine members, all ...

of the Central Government of ROC. In 1929, Chen was the

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the arts faculty of Peking University. From 1929 to Jan 1931, Chen was the acting President of Peking University. From 10 Dec 1930 to 22 Dec 1932 and from 10 to 27 Jan 1942, Chen served the Secretary-general of Examination Yuan. In Jul 1948, Chen start serving as a senior advisor of national policy for government.Chen Daqi - People from Jiaxing
After 1949, Chen went to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Chen served the first President of

National Chengchi University National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei. The university is also considered as the earliest public service training facility of the Republic of China. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subs ...

(NCCU) from Oct 1954 to Jul 1959. In Apr 1964, Chen became the first Director-general of the

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

Mencius Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucianism, Confucian Chinese philosophy, philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confuc ...

Society (孔孟学会) in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

at the

Nanhai Academy The Nanhai Academy () is a collection of cultural and educational facilities located on Nanhai Road in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan. History After the Republic of China Government relocated to Taiwan following the Chinese Civil War, ...

. Chen died in Taiwan on 8 Jan 1983.

Works

Chen was an influential educator, writer, educator,

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

. Chen published more than 20

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

s. His ''A General Outline of Psychology'' (心理学大纲, 1918,

Commercial Press The Commercial Press () is the first modern publishing organisation in China. History In 1897, 26-year-old Xia Ruifang and three of his friends (including the Bao brothers Bao Xian'en and Bao Xianchang) founded The Commercial Press in Shang ...

) is the first modern textbook of psychology in China. Chen also translated many German psychological works, thus he was also a well-known translator.

References

External links

Chen Daqi - President of Zhejiang University
(in Chinese, including photo)
Chen Daqi's brief biography from Zhejiang University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Daqi 1886 births 1983 deaths 19th-century Chinese translators 20th-century Chinese translators Chinese psychologists Educators from Jiaxing Peking University faculty Philosophers from Zhejiang Politicians from Jiaxing Republic of China philosophers Republic of China politicians from Zhejiang Republic of China translators Translators from German Translators to Chinese University of Tokyo alumni Writers from Jiaxing Zhejiang University alumni Zhejiang University faculty 20th-century psychologists