SCHLEGEL, Gustaaf.

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Uranographie Chinoise First edition of the great sinologist's study of Chinese astronomy, "the first comparative study of constellations between China and the Middle East... Schlegel's major effort was to search for as many analogies as possible between the Chinese and European nomenclatures" (Sun & Kistemaker, p. 8). He makes the case that the astronomical knowledge of ancient civilizations was derived from Chinese observations.Drawing on Xu Fa's treatise on calendars (Tian yuan lili quanshu, 1862), Schlegel (1840-1903) made a complete survey of ancient Chinese star names and their Western counterparts. He analysed the historical, climatological, and social context of ancient China and compared them with myths from Eurasiatic cultures in order to show that star systems across Eurasia are interrelated: "His approach may be called 'astro-mythological'" (Sun and Kistemaker, p. 9).Schlegel is also known for his groundbreaking Dutch-Chinese dictionary (1882-91) and as the co-founder of the oldest international journal of sinology, T'oung Pao.

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