Hu Shih (simplified Chinese: 胡适; traditional Chinese: 胡適; pinyin: Hú Shì; Wade–Giles: Hu Shih, 17 December 1891 – 24 February 1962), was a Chinese philosopher, essayist and diplomat. Hu is widely recognized today as a key contributor to Chinese liberalism and language reform in his advocacy for the use of written vernacular Chinese.