Binghan Sun M.A.
Languages and Cultures of the Silk Road (Silk Road)
East Asian Studies
Institut für Asien- und Afrikawissenschaften
Seminar für Ostasienstudien
Unter den Linden 6
10099 Berlin
09/2018 – 06/2022
MA in Chinese History, Renmin University of China, Beijing
09/2014 – 06/2018
BA in History, Renmin University of China, Beijing
A philological study on the Old Uyghur Āgama literature
Among the large number of Old Uyghur texts unearthed in Turpan and Dunhuang, China, there are more than 100 fragments of the Āgama Sutra, which were translated into Old Uyghur from Chinese after the 13th Century. These texts exhibit philological features that are distinctly different from those of other Buddhist translations. First, these texts make extensive use of Chinese characters. Second, the translations use the Chinese word order. Third, they are abridged translations of the Chinese sutras. Because of the specificity of content and form, scholars have not yet arrived at a reliable judgment on the nature of such translations. My research consists of three main aspects. First, an edition of all the Old Uyghur Āgama texts. Second, a comparative study with parallel texts in other related languages, especially the Chinese texts as translation sources. Third, a classification and comparison of the methods of translating Chinese literature by Uyghurs. Through comprehensive material organization and textual comparison, my research attempts to resolve the controversy concerning the nature and use of the Old Uyghur Āgama texts.
2022
“Study on the Taxation System in Khotan after Anshi Rebellion” 安史之亂後于闐地區征稅體系研究, The Western Regions Studies 西域研究, 2022(3), pp. 12-27.
“A Study on an Old Uyghur Fragment of the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya-tīkā Tattvārthā Preserved at the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage” 中國文化遺產研究院藏一葉回鶻文《阿毘達磨俱舎論實義疏》寫本研究, in: Zhu Yuqi朱玉麒, ed., Literature and History of the Western Regions 西域文史, Beijing: Science Press, vol. 16, 2022, pp. 199-222.