science

William Edward Soothill

William Edward Soothill is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand William Edward Soothill rather than just read about it. In short: William Edward Soothill, (1861 – 1935) was a Methodist missionary to China who later became Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford, and a leading British sinologist. Life Born in Halifax, Yorkshire in January 1861, Soothill matriculated at London University.

Key takeaways

William Edward Soothill belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect William Edward Soothill to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of William Edward Soothill from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

William Edward Soothill, (1861 – 1935) was a Methodist missionary to China who later became Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford, and a leading British sinologist.

Life Born in Halifax, Yorkshire in January 1861, Soothill matriculated at London University. He entered the ministry of the United Methodist Free Church arriving in China in 1882 and spent 29 years as a missionary in Wenzhou, China. Another leading missionary there until 1909 was Grace Stott who led the China Inland Mission there. Soothill founded a hospital, a training college, schools and 200 preaching stations. In 1911 Soothill became President of the Imperial University at Shanxi. Upon his return to England in 1920 he was appointed Professor of Chinese at Oxford University. In 1921, he was awarded the Order of Wen-Hu (third class) by the Republic of China in recognition of services rendered in connection with the Chinese Labour Corps in France. In 1926 he was a member of Lord Willingdon's delegation to China on the settlement of the Boxer Rebellion indemnities. He is best known for his translation into English of the Analects of Confucius and his Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms with Sanskrit and English Equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali Index. He married Lucy Farrar in 1884. She wrote an account of their years in China entitled A Passport to China. A daughter (born 1885) was Dorothea Hosie, whose husband was the diplomat Sir Alexander Hosie; Lady Hosie was the author of a number of books about China. William and Lucy also had a son, Victor, in 1888, who became the father of John Farrar Soothill (both doctors).

Selected works William Edward Soothill (1900). The student's four thousand [characters] and general pocket dictionary (2 ed.). American Presbyterian Mission Press. p. 420. Retrieved 6 July 2011. William Edward Soothill (1903). The student's four thousand ...: characters and general pocket dictionary, Volume 3 (3 ed.). American Presbyterian Mission Press. p. 420. Retrieved 6 July 2011. William Edward Soothill (1908). The student's four thousand tzu and general pocket dictionary (6 ed.). American Presbyterian Mission Press. pp. 211. Retrieved 6 July 2011. The Student's Four Thousand and General Pocket Dictionary (1899) A Mission in China (1906,1907) The Analects of Confucius. Published by the Author. 1910 – via Internet Archive. China and Education, with Special Reference to the University for China (1912) The Three Religions of China (1913; revised edition 1929) Timothy Richard of China (1924) China and the West: A sketch of their Intercourse (1925) A History of China (1927) China and England (1928) The Lotus of the Wonderful Law: or, The Lotus Gospel (1930) A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms: with Sanskrit and English Equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali Index (1937, with Lewis Hodous) The Hall of Light: A study of Early Chinese Kingship, edited by Lady Hosie and G. F. Hudson (1951)

Sources The Methodist Archives Biographical Index: Minutes of Conference 1958 and Encyclopedia of World Methodism (1974)

Notes

References and further reading Young, John (2012). "William E. Soothill (1861-1935): Missionary and Sinologist" (PDF). Methodist Heritage. Retrieved 20 April 2015.

External links Works by William Edward Soothill at Project Gutenberg "William E. Soothill," Archived 24 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Edward Soothill

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Edward Soothill claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to William Edward Soothill before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about William Edward Soothill ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of William Edward Soothill

In research: William Edward Soothill appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses William Edward Soothill in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: William Edward Soothill is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1861 births, 1935 deaths, British missionaries in China, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Edward Soothill outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study William Edward Soothill in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is William Edward Soothill in simple terms?

William Edward Soothill, (1861 – 1935) was a Methodist missionary to China who later became Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford, and a leading British sinologist. Life Born in Halifax, Yorkshire in January 1861, Soothill matriculated at London University.

Why does William Edward Soothill matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study William Edward Soothill?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on William Edward Soothill.