Qian Daxin (1728-1804), a scholar of the Qing Dynasty. His courtesy names were Xiaozheng and Xinmei, his nicknames were Jizhi and Zhuting, and he was a native of Jiading, Jiangsu (now part of Shanghai).
Qian Daxin has an early academic reputation: at the age of fifteen, he studied Ma Ruilin's "Tongkao of Documents" and was considered a child prodigy in his hometown. He also studied poetry with Shen Deqian and became famous for his poetry in his early years. The seventh son ranks first. After growing up, Qian Daxin became friends with Hui Dong and Shen Tong and exchanged knowledge. In the 16th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, he was summoned as a Juren and entered the capital as a cabinet secretary. Qian Daxin had a keen eye for learning. He studied Jiuzhang arithmetic and European trigonometry in Beijing, and spent a long time studying European studies taught by Europeans such as Matteo Ricci, Wu Yuhan and Nan Huairen (Wu Yuhan was not famous). Among the missionaries who came to China in ancient and modern times, Wu was the most knowledgeable. He entered the Royal Academy of Sciences of Italy seven days earlier than Galileo and was an outstanding scientist in the West. Galileo liked to add an L to his name. This L stands for Academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Italy. identity. This shows Wu Yuhan's academic skills) and his careful study of Western calendars and calculus. Qian Daxin often discussed Western learning with He Hanru, the minister of the Ministry of Rites of the Qin Dynasty. His profound knowledge made He Hanru feel inferior to him.
In the 19th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1754 AD), Qian Daxin became a Jinshi and was awarded the title of editor and editor. Emperor Qianlong loved his talents and learning, so he entered Zhishang's study and was responsible for giving lectures to the emperor's twelve sons. Zhao Mingxiu mastered famous works such as "Rehe Chronicles", "Xuwen Tongkao", "Xu Tongzhi", "Celestial Sphere Map" and so on. He also asked Qian to serve as the chief examiner of the provincial examinations in Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and later as the academic administrator of Guangdong.
In the thirty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign, Qian Daxin was promoted to a bachelor's degree and was soon promoted to Zhan Shi, the young master of Zhan Shi Mansion. But Qian Daxin was a person who cared little about fame and fortune. In the 40th year of Qianlong's reign, Qian resigned and returned to his hometown on the grounds of Ding You. From then on, he stopped going out and concentrated on studying. In the third year of Jiaqing, the imperial court called Qian Daxin back to the court, but Qian still declined politely. He died in Ziyang Academy in the ninth year of Jiaqing (1804 AD) at the age of 77. He is the author of "Twenty-Two Histories", "Shijiazhai Yangxinlu", "Qianguitang Collected Works", etc.
Qian Daxin is an important figure in the Qianjia School. He has a wide range of scholarship and is proficient in textual research in many aspects such as classics and history, phonology, exegesis, system, geography, etc. He takes academics as his own responsibility and does not serve as an official. He forgot to study, and studied more diligently after resigning and returning to his hometown. Therefore, "if you don't specialize in one classic, you will not understand all the classics; if you don't specialize in one history, you will not understand all history." In addition to the works he was called upon to do, he wrote numerous books. Especially in terms of history, Qian Daxin made pioneering contributions to the study of Yuan history. The "History of the Yuan Dynasty" compiled by officials in the Ming Dynasty contained many errors and confusing cataloging. In particular, it neglected the research on the clans of the Yuan Dynasty, resulting in very little understanding of the Semu people of the Yuan Dynasty. In response to this, Qian Daxin collected opinions from hundreds of schools of thought and spent nearly thirty years to compile the "Yuan Shi Clan List", which was modeled on the lineage table of prime ministers in "Tang Shu". It has become an indispensable reference book for the study of Yuan history today. In addition, the "Yuan Shi Yi Li Zhi" was compiled from four parts of the classics and historical sub-collections of Yuan people's writings, which is also an indispensable and important work for the study of Yuan history. His historical works, combined into "Twenty-two Histories", surpassed the achievements of Wang Mingsheng's "Seventeen Histories" and Zhao Yi's "Twenty-two Histories" at the same time.
Qian Daxin has long studied the history of the Yuan Dynasty and is proficient in Mongolian. According to historical records, the Qing Dynasty obtained a Mongolian inscription from the Yuan Dynasty, but no one knew about it, so it was translated by Zhangjia Duobiji, the national teacher. When it was later copied into a book, Qian Daxin was the only one able to point out the fallacy. His erudition and strong memory are the best for a while.
His calligraphy originates from the study of epigraphy, he is good at writing Han official script, his brushwork is ancient and majestic, and full of curiosity; his regular script is green, elegant, simple and vigorous, with the calligraphy style of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, born out of his rich knowledge. keep.