生平

清朝道光二年（1822年）魏源29歲參加順天鄉試，考中舉人，試卷得到宣宗褒揚，但此後會試卻落第，房考劉逢祿深感可惜。1840年至1841年，曾參與裕謙戎幕，依照英國戰俘的口供編成《英吉利小志》。1841年7月，在鎮江與林則徐相遇，縱談時事和今後對策。1843年1月，依靠林則徐在廣州翻譯的報紙並以林的《四洲志》為基礎寫就50卷的《海國圖志》，而魏源撰寫該書時曾長年待在南京，其宅邸即小卷阿。後魏源捐內閣中書，直到道光二十五年（1845年）方中進士，殿試位列三甲第93名，以知州分發江蘇，贊權興化。官至高郵州知州。1847年，魏源前往廣州、澳門，訪問知名儒者陳澧，會晤葡萄牙理事官，又前往香港，採購各國書籍，將《海國圖志》拓展為60卷。1853年，依據西方新出著述，如葡萄牙人馬吉士的《地理備考》，續寫為100卷。

晚年隱居杭州，潛心佛教，法名承貫。病逝于杭州。《清史稿》有傳。

著作

著有《海國圖志》一百卷，《聖武記》，輯《皇朝經世文編》120卷。

《海國圖志》書中闡述了作者「師夷長技以制夷」的思想，主張學習國外先進的科學技術以抵禦外國的侵略，使中國走上富強的道路。但是對基督教的認識也有偏見，誤信外國傳教士把華人的眼睛挖出來，配以鉛粉，煉製白銀，因此而致富等事。《聖武記》中對宗喀巴的生卒年、西藏佛教的活佛轉世制度起源的錯誤記載，影響直到民國時期。在佛教方面著有《無量壽經》會集本——《摩訶阿彌陀經》。

近年有《魏源全集》出版發行。

註釋

Biography

From an early age, Wei espoused the New Text school of Confucianism and became a vocal member of the statecraft school, which advocated practical learning in opposition to the allegedly barren evidentiary scholarship as represented by scholars like Dai Zhen. Among other things, Wei advocated sea transport of grain to the capital instead of using the Grand Canal and he also advocated a strengthening of the Qing Empire's frontier defense. In order to alleviate the demographic crisis in China, Wei also spoke in favor of large scale emigration of Han Chinese into Xinjiang.

Later in his career he became increasingly concerned with the threat from the Western powers and maritime defense. He wrote A Military History of the Holy Dynasty (《聖武記》, Shèngwǔjì, known at the time as the Shêng Wu-ki), the last two chapters of which were translated by Edward Harper Parker as the Chinese Account of the Opium War. Wei also wrote a separate narrative on the First Opium War (《道光洋艘征撫記》, Dàoguāng Yángsōu Zhēngfǔ Jì). Today, he is mostly known for his 1844 work, Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms, which contains Western material collected by Lin Zexu during and after the First Opium War. The main principles advocated in the work were later absorbed by the institutional reforms known as the Self-Strengthening Movement.

British India was suggested as a potential target by Wei Yuan after the Opium War.

The creation of a government organ for translation was proposed by Wei.