Lu Zhiwei (; 6 February 1894 – 21 November 1970), also known as C. W. Luh, was an influential Chinese
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 ...
and
linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
from
Wuxing,
Zhejiang
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 Jiang ...
. He was also an important figure in
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernacular forms of the language, its poetry ...
, both for his critical ideas and as a poet being one of the early poets to work in the
Modern Chinese poetry Modern Chinese poetry, including New poetry (), refers to post Qing dynasty (1644 to 1912) Chinese poetry, including the modern vernacular (''baihua'') style of poetry increasingly common with the New Culture and 4 May 1919 movements, with the dev ...
, influenced by a more vernacular style and by international developments in poetry.
Career
In 1915, Lu went to study in the United States. In 1920, he graduated from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
Department of Psychology with the doctoral paper "The Conditions of Retention". Lu returned to China that year and was hired by various academies in Nanjing. While he was teaching in the
University of Nanjing
Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xianl ...
, he became the first one to introduce the
Pavlovian
Classical conditioning (also known as Pavlovian or respondent conditioning) is a behavioral procedure in which a biologically potent stimulus (e.g. food) is paired with a previously neutral stimulus (e.g. a triangle). It also refers to the learn ...
theories into China along with various other Western psychological ideas. In 1927, he arrived in Beijing and was hired as the professor of psychology at
Yenching University
Yenching University (), was a university in Beijing, China, that was formed out of the merger of four Christian colleges between the years 1915 and 1920. The term "Yenching" comes from an alternative name for old Beijing, derived from its status ...
. In 1933, he went to
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
faculty of biology to pursue further education in psychology. He returned to China the next year and was appointed as the president of Yenching.
During the onset of the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
, the study of psychology was halted. Lu began to turn his devotion of research into the Chinese linguistics, and published various papers beginning in 1939. His published book ''The Structure of Hanyu'' was one of the first complete analyses of the Chinese language structure. Lu was also one of the original developers of
Pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
.
In August 1941, he was arrested by the Japanese Army along with several other employees of Yenching University. After being discharged, he began to research on the
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
and completed the first draft of ''Introduction to Classical Pronunciation'', in September, 1943.
After the Second Sino-Japanese War was over, Lu was in charge of rebuilding Yenching University. After the establishment of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, Lu was transferred to the
Chinese Academy of Science
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republic ...
.
During the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
, he was criticized and persecuted like many other scholars at the time. On November 21, 1970, Lu died in Beijing due to illness.
Works
* ''The Structure of Hanyu''
* ''Introduction to Classical Pronunciation''
* ''Record of Poetic Rhythms''
* ''Social Psychology Textbook''
* ''The Unlimited Wonders of Chinese Children''
Poetry
* ''Crossing the River'' (1923)
* ''New Year and Other Poems'' (1933)
* ''Songs of the Monkey Year and Chicken Year'' (1933)
References and further reading
*
Chinese Academy of Science*
Chinese Linguistics Government Website
*
See also
*
Mixed-sex education
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
*
Modern Chinese poetry Modern Chinese poetry, including New poetry (), refers to post Qing dynasty (1644 to 1912) Chinese poetry, including the modern vernacular (''baihua'') style of poetry increasingly common with the New Culture and 4 May 1919 movements, with the dev ...
*
Nicolas Trigault
Nicolas Trigault (1577–1628) was a Jesuit, and a missionary in China. He was also known by his latinised name Nicolaus Trigautius or Trigaultius, and his Chinese name Jin Nige ().
Life and work
Born in Douai (then part of the County of Flanders ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Zhiwei
1894 births
1970 deaths
Chinese psychologists
Linguists from China
Writers from Huzhou
Yenching University faculty
Presidents of Yenching University
Victims of the Cultural Revolution
Scientists from Huzhou
University of Chicago alumni
Nanjing University faculty
20th-century linguists
20th-century psychologists