I Ching

James Legge (1815-1897) was a Scottish scholar, missionary, translator, and one of the most important early Western interpreters of Chinese literature and philosophy. He spent many years in China, where his work brought him into sustained contact with the language, religious traditions, and philosophical writings that would become the focus of his scholarly career. His command of classical Chinese eventually led to an ambitious program of translating foundational Chinese texts into English.Legge is best remembered for his translations of the Confucian and other ancient Chinese classics, many of which appeared in the monumental Sacred Books of the East series edited by Max Müller. His work introduced generations of English-language readers to texts including the Analects, the Book of Rites, the Shu King, and the I Ching. Although later translators have sometimes challenged his interpretations, his scholarship remains historically important for its seriousness, extensive annotation, and close engagement with the original texts.In 1876 Legge became the first Professor of Chinese at Oxford University, where he continued his translation and scholarly work until his death. His writings helped establish the academic study of Chinese philosophy and religion in the English-speaking world and remain valuable both as translations and as records of nineteenth-century Western scholarship on China.

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