Hellmut Wilhelm | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 10 December 1905 | ||||||||||
| Died | 5 June 1990 (aged 84) | ||||||||||
| Nationality | German | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Berlin | ||||||||||
| Known for | Yijing (I Ching) studies | ||||||||||
| Scientific career | |||||||||||
| Fields | Chinese history, literature | ||||||||||
| Institutions | University of Washington Peking University | ||||||||||
| Notable students | David R. Knechtges | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 衛德明 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 卫德明 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Hellmut Wilhelm (10 December 1905 – 5 July 1990) was a German Sinologist known for his studies of both Chinese literature and Chinese history. Wilhelm was an expert on the ancient Chinese divination text I Ching (Yi jing), which he believed to represent the essence of Chinese thought.[1] He also produced one of the most widely used German-Chinese dictionaries of the 20th century. He held teaching positions at Peking University and the University of Washington.
Wilhelm's father, Richard Wilhelm, was also a noted Sinologist, and held the first chair of Sinology at the University of Frankfurt.