Erwin von Zach

Erwin Ritter von Zach (18 April 1872 – 19 January 1942) was an Austrian diplomat and sinologist noted for his studies of Chinese literature and its translation, as well as his often harsh criticism of other scholars' work. His German translation of the early Chinese anthology Selections of Refined Literature (Wen xuan 文選) was the work's first complete translation in a Western language.

He was the second consul of the Austro-Hungarian concession of Tianjin.

Early life

Erwin von Zach was born on 18 April 1872 in Vienna, which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His family was aristocratic and frequently moved throughout Europe. He attended school in Krakow, Lemburg (modern Lviv), and Vienna, studying Greek and the natural sciences. He enrolled at the University of Vienna as a student of medicine, but audited classes in a wide variety of subjects, including mathematics and Chinese. Following an emergency appendectomy in 1895, von Zach moved to Leiden to recuperate. While in Leiden, von Zach attended the Dutch sinologist Gustaaf Schlegel's Chinese classes and began studying Manchu and Tibetan.