Ma Huan

Ma Huan
BornMa Huan
c. 1380
Kuaiji Commandery, Zhejiang, China
Diedc. 1460
OccupationExplorer, Translator, Travel writer
LanguageChinese, Arabic
NationalityChinese
Notable worksYingya Shenglan (The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores)
First page of the Yingya Shenglan (1451) by Ma Huan, as collected in the Jilu Huibian (1617)

Ma Huan (simplified Chinese: 马欢; traditional Chinese: 馬歡; pinyin: Mǎ Huān, Xiao'erjing: ﻣَﺎ ﺧُﻮًا) (c. 1380–1460[1]), courtesy name Zongdao (Chinese: 宗道; pinyin: Zōngdào), pen name Mountain-woodcutter (會稽山樵), was a Chinese explorer, translator, and travel writer who accompanied Admiral Zheng He on three of his seven expeditions to the Western Oceans. Ma was a Muslim and was born in Zhejiang's Kuaiji Commandery, an area within the modern borders of Shaoxing. He knew several Classical Chinese and Buddhist texts. He learned Arabic to be able to translate.[2]

  1. ^ Forbes, A.D.W. (1983), "Ma Huan", in Bosworth, C.E. (ed.), The Encyclopaedia of Islam, E.J. Brill, pp. 849–850, ISBN 90-04-07164-4
  2. ^ Sir H. A. R. Gibb (1954). Encyclopedia of Islam, Volumes 1–5. Brill Archive. p. 849. ISBN 90-04-07164-4. Retrieved 26 March 2011.