1892-1982 CN, Tianjin
Composer
Yuen Ren Chao (Chinese: 趙元任; pinyin: Zhào Yuánrèn; 3 November 1892 – 25 February 1982), was a Chinese-American linguist, educator, scholar, poet, and composer, best known for his contributions to the modern study of Chinese phonology and grammar. Chao was born and raised in China, then attended university in the United States, where he earned degrees from Cornell University and Harvard University. A naturally-gifted polyglot and linguist, Chao is best known for his Mandarin Primer, one of the most widely used Mandarin Chinese textbooks in the 20th century, and his Gwoyeu Romatzyh romanization scheme, which can, unlike pinyin and other romanization systems, transcribe Mandarin Chinese pronunciation without needing diacritics to indicate words' tone.