Ji Xianlin, Linguist, Indologist, and Scholar
Linguist, Indologist, and Scholar

Ji Xianlin

Born 6 August 1911 · China — Died 11 July 2009

Translated and preserved ancient Sanskrit and Tocharian texts into modern Chinese.

Ji Xianlin was a Chinese Indologist, linguist, paleographer, historian and writer who has been honored by the governments of both India and China. Ji was proficient in many languages including Chinese, Sanskrit, Arabic, English, German, French, Russian, Pali and Tocharian, and translated many works. He published a memoir, The Cowshed: Memories of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, about his persecution during the Cultural Revolution.

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A detail that
surprised us

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During the Cultural Revolution, Ji Xianlin secretly translated the Ramayana into Chinese while risking imprisonment for intellectual dissent.

The Story

1
🌏 In 1936, Ji Xianlin chose to study Sanskrit and ancient languages like Pali at the University of Göttingen, Germany, under Professor Ernst Waldschmidt, setting the stage for his pioneering Indological research.
2
📜 By 1941, Ji had earned his PhD and delved into the obscure Tocharian language with Emil Sieg, later translating rare fragments of the Tocharian Maitreyasamiti-Nataka discovered in Yanqi in 1974.
3In 1946, Ji returned to China to become a professor at Peking University, where he founded the Department of Eastern Languages and authored 40 articles and 13 academic papers in just three years.
4🔥 During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), Ji secretly translated the Ramayana from Sanskrit into Chinese, preserving its poetic form despite the grave risk of persecution.

🏅 Awards & Honours

2008
Padma Bhushan

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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Ji Xianlin mastered at least nine languages, including the nearly extinct Tocharian, which he studied under Emil Sieg in Germany in the 1940s.

🖼️

Through the Years

3 photographs from the archives
Ji Xianlin at his graduation from Tsinghua University in 1934
Ji Xianlin at his graduation from Tsinghua University in 1934
1934
Ji Xianlin in 1936 showing his early academic years
Ji Xianlin in 1952 during his scholarly career

🗓️ A Life in Moments

🕊️
Birth
Born in Linqing, Shandong, China
Ji Xianlin was born in Linqing, Shandong province, setting the origin for his cross-cultural scholarly pursuits.
1911
📚
Education
Studies Sanskrit in Germany
At the University of Göttingen, Ji began studying Sanskrit and Pali under Ernst Waldschmidt, focusing on ancient languages.
1936
📚
Education
Earns PhD and studies Tocharian
Ji received his PhD and studied the rare Tocharian language under Emil Sieg, deepening his linguistic expertise.
1941
⚡
Career
Joins Peking University faculty
Recommended by Chen Yinke, Ji began his career as professor and founder of the Eastern Languages Department at Peking University.
1946
⚡
Career
Cultural Revolution persecution
During the Cultural Revolution, Ji was persecuted and secretly translated the Ramayana into Chinese, preserving its poetic form.
1966
⚡
Career
Becomes vice president of Peking University
Ji was appointed vice president and director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' South Asia Research Institute.
1978
📖
Publication
Publishes Tocharian text translation
Ji published analysis and translation of Tocharian Maitreyasamiti-Nataka fragments found in Yanqi in 1974.
1998
🕊️
Death
Death in Beijing
Ji Xianlin passed away in Beijing at the age of 97, concluding a long scholarly life bridging China and India.
2009
More moments to come...
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 04
🔍LESSER KNOWN

In the 1960s, an accidental research interest in sugar history emerged from Ji after receiving a Dunhuang scroll in 1981, leading him to become a specialist in the China-India sugar trade.

02 / 04
👤PERSONAL

Despite joining the Communist Party and participating in campaigns against dissenting intellectuals in the 1950s, Ji himself was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, a harsh irony he detailed in his memoir 'The Cowshed.'

03 / 04
🌍HISTORICAL IMPACT

Ji Xianlin’s research revealed that paper, often thought to have spread from China westward, also traveled eastward into India, highlighting overlooked cultural exchanges.

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"He studied Buddhism, [...] the depth of the language philology, the use of historical methods, and long-term thinking for Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges."

— Ji Xianlin

🌱 What changed because of them

Ji Xianlin established the foundation for Eastern language studies at Peking University, which became a major center for Indology in China. His research on Buddhist migration and Sino-Indian cultural exchanges influenced academic institutions and deepened cross-cultural understanding. His translations and historical studies continue to inform both Chinese and Indian scholarly communities.

💬 Social Buzz

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