An Shih Kao

An Shih-kao was a prince of Parthia, nicknamed the "Parthian Marquis", who renounced his prospect as a contender for the royal throne of Parthia in order to serve as a Buddhist missionary monk.



The prefix ''An'' in An Shih-kao's name is an abbreviation of ''Anxi'' , meaning ''Parthia'' in ancient Chinese: ''Anxi'' is a transcription of "''''", the founder of the Arsacid Dynasty of Parthia. Most Parthian visitors who took a Chinese name received the ''An'' prefix to indicate their Parthian origin.



In 148, An Shih-kao arrived in China at the Han Dynasty capital of Luoyang, where he set up a centre for the translation of Buddhist texts. He translated thirty-five texts from the Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism, including works on meditation, psychology, and techniques of breath control.



An Shih-kao is the first Buddhist missionary to China to be named in Chinese sources. Another Parthian monk named An Xuan is also said to have followed An Shih-kao to Loyang around 181 CE, where he took charge of translating Mahayana texts.