Qian Xuantong (錢玄同 in pinyin: Qián Xuántóng) (1887–1939) was a Chinese phonetician who promoted vernacular Chinese (baihua).

• Birth given name: Xing (行 xíng)
• Courtesy name (zi): Xia (夏 xià)

Qian was born in Wuxing (吳興), Zhejiang (浙江). He held the position as a professor in numerous universities. He proposed the eradication of Chinese characters. He was a strong supporter of Esperanto, the concept of simplified Chinese and standardization of Chinese pronunciation.

His son Qian Sanqiang was a nuclear physicist who contributed to development of nuclear weapons in China. His grandson is a professor teaching at Beijing University.

1887 births | 1939 deaths | Chinese linguists | Phoneticians

Qian Xuantong | 钱玄同