Victor Mair passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 28, 2026, surrounded by family and friends. Some of the basics of his life are given in the brief obituary by his department at the University of Pennsylvania.
I put off writing something on this as I am still in shock over the passing of my dear friend. He always seemed so full of both intellectual and physical vitality that I half expected he would go on forever. Certainly for at least another decade or even two.
His impact on me and on Pinyin.info is incalculable. Among his many writings found here on Pinyin.info (most of which were written specifically for this site) are:
- Grammar shrammar
- “Crisis” Does NOT Equal “Danger” Plus “Opportunity”
- Curse of the chaos crisis?
- The journal Xin Tang (New China). Absolutely essential reading (some in English, some in romanized Mandarin) for those interested in the history of Pinyin orthography.
- Implications of the Soviet Dungan Script for Chinese Language Reform
- Key terms and notes related to the English translation of the Art of War
- Busyness is not equal to heart + killing
- Chinese Characters as a High-Maintenance Script and the Consequences Thereof
- Simplified characters inside and outside of the People’s Republic of China
- How to Forget Your Mother Tongue and Remember Your National Language
- How to learn real Mandarin: an anecdote
- Remarks on the slogan for the Beijing Olympics
I had the honor of being asked to contribute an essay to Victor H. Mair: A Celebration, edited by Neil Schmid and Diana Shuheng Zhang. In that, I tried to convey something of the man I knew for nearly twenty-five years, not just Victor the scholar. The book is worth seeking out for its many essays on Victor Mair. As far as I know, this is not available online.
Readers interested in learning more about Victor should of course also turn to his journal of forty(!) years, Sino-Platonic Papers, and his numerous posts at Language Log.
Victor now rejoins his beloved wife, Li-ching Chang (1936–2010).
He made the world a better place and enriched the lives of those lucky enough to have known him. I will be forever grateful. RIP.