Description: (Chinese Philosopher and Scholar Whose Work 'Wen Shi' Was The First Systematic Work of Chinese Etymology)
Zhang Binglin, also known as Zhang Taiyan, was a prominent Chinese philologist, textual critic, philosopher, and revolutionary. He made significant contributions to Chinese etymology with his work "Wen Shi" and historical phonology studies. Zhang developed a shorthand system based on seal script, which later became the basis for zhuyin. As an activist, he authored numerous political works, leading to imprisonment by the Qing Empire and house arrest under Yuan Shikai.