Pétrus Ký: Difference between revisions

{{Expand Vietnamese|topic=bio|Trương Vĩnh Ký|date=February 2009}}

'''Trương Vĩnh Ký''' ([[Chữ Nôm]]: {{lang-vi-hantu|張永記}}; 6 December 1837{{snd}}1 September 1898), known as '''Pétrus Ký''' and '''Jean-Baptiste Pétrus''', was a [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]] scholar whose publications helped improve understanding between colonial [[French Indochina|Vietnam]] and Europe. His works helped popularize the romanized script of the Vietnamese languagealphabet, [[Vietnamese alphabet|chữ Quốc Ngữngữ]], leading to its officialization in the early 20th century. He served in the French colonial regime as a linguist, and also translated many literary works into modern Vietnamese.<ref>Patricia M. Pelley ''Postcolonial Vietnam: New Histories of the National Past'' Page 128 2002 "Working with phenomenal energy, the Catholic converts Trương Vĩnh Ký and Huỳnh Tịnh Của, for example, translated literary works ."</ref>

TruongWhen Vinhhe Kywas little, alsohe calledwent J.B.by Truongthe Chanhname Ky,Trương orChánh PetrusKý. Ky,He was born on 6 December 1837 in VinhVĩnh ThanhThành Villagevillage, Minh LyLệ Cantoncanton, TanTân Minh Districtdistrict, VinhVĩnh Long Provinceprovince (now is Vinh ThanhVĩnh Thành, Commune, ChoChợ LachLách Districtdistrict, BenBến Tre Provinceprovince).

His father was CommanderProvincial TruongMilitary Lead Trương ChanhChánh Thi, his mother was NguyenNguyễn ThiThị ChauChâu. He started to learn theLiterary Mandarin languageChinese at asthe early as 5 yearsage of age5. When he was 98, he lost his father. In Cai Nhum atDuring that time, he convinced his mother to allow him to learn the Vietnamese alphabet and convert to Catholicism. He adopted the name Jean-Baptiste Pétrus Trương Chánh Ký, but later changed his name to Pétrus Trương Vĩnh Ký. In Cái Nhum, there was a Christian missionary teaching the Latin language. At 12the age of 11, KyVĩnh Ký studied the Christian Bible with Father HueHoa (or the PriestFather Belleveaux) and followed him to the Pinhalu School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In 1851, TruongVĩnh Ký was granted a scholarship by this school to study at the [[Penang]] Seminary, then the main centre of [[Roman Catholic]] training for Southeast Asian countries.<ref>Understanding Vietnam - Page 69 Neil L. Jamieson - 1995 "These two men, Truong Vinh (Petrus) Ky and Huynh Tinh (Paulus) Cua, ... They sent him to a Catholic school in Cambodia and then to a seminary in Penang, where he acquired a firm grounding in both Asian and Western civilization and ..."</ref><ref>Vietnam Fights and Builds - Page xlix 1964 "Petrus Ky Three years later Petrus Ky once again followed Father Long, this time to Penang (Malaysia). As a brilliant pupil and a devoted believer, Petrus Ky was admitted to the Jesuits' Far East Catholic Mission. During his six years in Penang ..."</ref> At the Penang Seminary, TruongVĩnh Vinh KyKý showed outstanding learning skills to the ideological and knowledge on natural as well as social sciences, that even some of the famed personalities at that time were surprised and praised his excellent brainpower and erudite knowledge. He also proved himself skillful in linguistics. Beside the commonly used languages at the time such as French, English, Latin, Greek, Hindi, and Japanese, he was also proficient in Chinese, Spanish, Malay, Lao, Thai, Burmese. TruongTrương VinhVĩnh KyKý worked mainly in the cultural domain, but he also worked for 8 months at the [[Viện cơ mật]] (Secret Affairs Institute, Privy Council) in the court at [[Huế]] and another 8 months as an interpreter in the Vietnamese delegation to France. When the French troops attacked the Province of Gia DinhĐịnh in December, 1859, he was appointed as an interpreter to the Occupyingoccupying forces.

In June, 1863, he accompanied Phan Thanh GianGiản, the chief delegator sent to France by the HueHuế Court to negotiate the retrieval of provinces lost into French hands. This trip was a good opportunity for TruongVĩnh Ký to meet with famous figures at the time such as Victor Hugo, Littre, Renan, and other French statesmen. He was also able to visit Egypt, Portugal, Spain, Italy, etc.

The trip also gave him a broader perspective view of his own country and the plight of his fellow countrymen. OnceWhen allthe 6 provinces of the Cochninchine were lost to the French invaders, TruongVĩnh Ký was appointed as the first Annamite official to serve under the French protectorate.

He was professor of French language at the Interpreter School (1866–1868), Chief editor for the [[Gia Dinh Bao|Gia DinhĐịnh NewsBáo]] (1868), Director of the Pedagogic School and at the same time, Secretary of the City Council of [[Cho Lon|Chợ Lớn]] (1872), professor in French language for the French and Spanish expats at the Collège des Administrateurs Stagiaires in 1874. In February, 1876, TruongVĩnh Ký was appointed as thea Supervisorsupervisor forto the kingemperor [[Đồng Khánh]] at the [[Viện cơ mật]] and stayed in that job until October, 1876. Then he went back to [[Saigon]].

[[File:Nhà mồ Trương Vĩnh Ký.jpg|thumb|The grave of TruongTrương VinhVĩnh KyKý in ChoChợ QuanQuán church in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with engraved: "''Miseremini Mei Saltem Vos Amici Mei''" ("''Pity me. You’re at least my friends.''") [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gi%C3%B3p+19&version=CEB;BD2011;VULGATE Job 19:21-27]]]

He was no longer accredited after the abrupt death of Governor-General [[Paul Bert]] on 11 November 1886, and spent most of the time doing research and teaching at the Interpreter School and the Collège des Administrateurs Stagiaires. He died on 1 September 1898, in Saigon, aged 62. Some of people apart of his family that are alive today include Nia Truong Le and Tessa Truong Le.

During his 40 years working in the cultural field, TruongTrương VinhVĩnh KyKý created 118 works of many genres such as research, collecting, translation, transcription, tens of which were written in French. He was also a member of science societies and associations in Europe. In the time of transition and cultural intersection between West and East in Vietnam at the end of 19th and early 20th century, TruongVĩnh Ký had such a grandiose career that the French scholar J. Bouchot called him "the only scholar in Indochina and even the modern China " In Vietnam, TruongVĩnh Ký was praised as the most excellent language and cultural researcher. Though there are some ideas criticizing him for having cooperated with the French colonialists, no one ever doubts his excellent learning and profound knowledge, as well as his invaluable contributions to Vietnam's cultural development during the early days of modern civilization. There have been many research books and biographical as well as critic books about TruongTrương VinhVĩnh KyKý, his life and his works. All were published and have been reprinted many times in many ways for many later researchers to get to understand him.

In the cultural areafield, TruongTrương VinhVĩnh KyKý was admired greatly as a scholar with broad and profound knowledge in various fields of study, both in social and natural sciences. He had considerable achievements in collecting, transcription and translation from foreign languages into Vietnamese. Some of his best-known transcriptiontransliterations and translation works include [[Truyện Kiều]] (The Tale of Kieu), [[Lục Vân Tiên]] (written in Chinese characters as 陸蓼雲僊仙, by NguyenNguyễn DinhĐình ChieuChiểu), ''Phan Trần'', and ''Gia huấn ca'' (Book of Familial Educating), ''Lục súc tranh công'' (The Six Animals Vying for Services).

[[Category:ChevaliersKnights of the LégionLegion d'honneurof Honour]]

[[Category:MaleVietnamese male journalists]]

[[Category:People from Bến Tre Provinceprovince]]