Ji Xianlin, a scholar of great renown in the academic world, led a life of legendary dimensions. This article draws on the BaZi chart of Ji Xianlin to provide an in-depth analysis of his life experiences, revealing the close link between destiny and history.
BaZi Chart
BaZi Analysis
The BaZi (Ba Zi) of Ji Xianlin centers on a Wu Earth Day Master. The Four Pillars reveal Xin Metal and two Yi Wood stems protruding, forming a composite structure that combines a Hurting Officer (Shang Guan) paired with Resource (Yin Shou) and constrained by a Direct Officer (Zheng Guan). With Earth and Metal as the prevailing elements and Wood serving as the Officer star, the chart reflects a destiny that balances scholarly inquiry with expressive talent. The Hurting Officer endows him with creativity and an inexhaustible drive to write, while the Resource sustains his scholarly endurance and inner cultivation.
Academic Focus
The pairing of Hurting Officer with Resource serves as the astrological basis for a powerful scholarly drive supported by Resource, favoring long-term translation work and accumulated academic achievement.
Linguistic Talent
The interaction between the Eating God (Shi Shen) and the Hurting Officer fosters literary expression and linguistic perception. The chart reveals a natural aptitude for translation and language study.
Resilience and Endurance
The Wu Earth Day Master symbolizes steadiness and staying power, enabling him to weather political turmoil and adversity, eventually return, and continue his scholarly contributions.
Charisma and Influence
The simultaneous presence of Direct Officer and Resource signifies social recognition and academic authority, favorable for building a broad scholarly influence and a lineage of disciples.
Life Timeline
1923
A young scholar enters school, opening a new chapter of intellectual growth. He enrolled at Jinan Zhengyi Middle School, began a systematic secondary education, and devoted himself to extracurricular studies of classical Chinese and English, laying a crucial foundation for his future academic and intellectual development.
1930
His name on the golden roll, he entered the campus of Tsinghua University. He successfully gained admission to the Western Literature Department at Tsinghua University, majoring in German and broadly electing courses in Sanskrit, English, and comparative literature, thereby laying a solid linguistic and cultural foundation for his future scholarly career.
1934
Graduating from Tsinghua and returning to his hometown, he took the teaching podium to nurture young talents. After graduating from Tsinghua University with a bachelor's degree in literature, he returned to his native Shandong, where he took a position as a Chinese language teacher at the Jinan Provincial Senior High School, embarking on his career in education.
1935
Traveling west to study, he sought learning at the University of Gottingen. He journeyed to the University of Gottingen in Germany, opening a pivotal chapter in his academic career. Studying under Waldschmidt, he systematically pursued Sanskrit, Pali, Tocharian, and Buddhist studies, laying a firm linguistic and intellectual foundation for his future as a master scholar.
1937
A lectureship in Chinese studies marked his first resonance on the European continent. He took a concurrent post as a lecturer in the Department of Sinology at the University of Gottingen, formally entering the German higher-education system and launching his career in research and teaching—an important starting point for his international scholarly influence.
1941
At the summit of intellect, he was crowned with a doctorate. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Gottingen, gaining academic recognition through esoteric and demanding research in Indology and Tocharian, thereby establishing a profound scholarly foundation.
1946
Returning home in triumph, he took charge of the Department of Oriental Languages at Peking University. With recommendations from senior scholars such as Chen Yinque, Ji Xianlin returned to China in 1946. He was appointed a professor at Peking University, where he founded the Department of Oriental Languages and Literature and served as its chair, becoming one of the youngest full professors in the university's history.
1956
A formal convergence of conviction and mission. He officially joined the Chinese Communist Party and was elected a member of the Division of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His personal scholarly aspirations merged deeply with his national political identity, opening a new chapter in which academia and politics intertwined.
1967
Battered by wind and frost, he was thrown into prison. During a special historical period, his home was raided late at night; he was labeled a "counterrevolutionary" and caught in the maelstrom of political struggle, dealing a devastating blow to his personal fate.
1968
The calamity of the cow shed left his body and spirit broken. At Peking University he faced mass denunciation sessions, and was subsequently sent to a branch campus for labor reform. For a time he was confined to a cow shed, suffering severe physical and psychological abuse.
1977
A pearl in the sea of translation: the complete translation of the epic Ramayana was published. After four years of devoted translation work, the complete Chinese rendition of the Indian epic Ramayana was finished in 1977. It stands as a major milestone in his scholarly career, demonstrating profound linguistic mastery and cultural refinement.