A Course Of Mandarin Lessons, Based On Idiom V1

by Calvin Wilson Mateer

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

426 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2010

About the author

Calvin Wilson Mateer (Chinese: 狄考文; pinyin: Dí Kǎowén, sometimes misspelt "Matteer") (9 January 1836 – 28 September 1908) was a missionary to China with the American Presbyterian Mission. He was of Scottish-Irish descent and a native of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Western Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh. After serving with the Presbyterian church of Delaware, Ohio, for two years, he arrived in Dengzhou (today part of Penglai City, Shandong) with his wife Julia Brown Mateer in early January 1864 and continued to work as a missionary in China for 45 years.

He was the chairman of the committee for Bible translation and presided over the translation of the widely circulated Chinese translation of the Holy Bible, The Chinese Union Version.

In 1882, Mateer founded Tengchow College as the first modern institution of higher education in China. Tengchow College became a predecessor of Cheeloo University, and finally of Shandong University.

His Course of Mandarin Lessons, based on idiom, first published in 1892, was a popular text for learners, garnering four further editions by 1922.

He died in 1908 in Qingdao, China.