Richard Wilhelm

His translation of the I Ching is still regarded as one of the finest, as is his translation of The Secret of the Golden Flower; both were provided with introductions by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who was a personal friend.

• Name — Richard Wilhelm • Born — 10 May 1873 • Birthplace — Stuttgart, German Empire • Died — 1 March 1930 • Place of death — Tübingen, Weimar Republic • Fields — Chinese literature • Workplaces — University of Frankfurt • Known for — I Ching (Yi jing) translation • Children — Hellmut Wilhelm

After World War I, Wilhelm became disillusioned with European Christianity. Wilhelm criticized religious people for seeking strong nations, stating, "I myself believe that wealth and power is nothing that, from a religious perspective, ought to be desired, since the pursuit of wealth does not represent love, and the pursuit of power does not represent justice." Lau Nui Suan introduced Wilhelm to Chinese yoga philosophy and the psychology of the I Ching. In Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching, he wrote that the text was "unquestionably one of the most important books in the world's literature," and that it had "a living stream of deep human wisdom" with applicability to "everyday life". His son Hellmut Wilhelm was also a sinologist and was professor of Chinese at the University of Washington. Wilhelm was a close friend of the renowned Chinese educator and diplomat Dr. Li Linsi.