sentences:  After leaving academia in 1999, five years before the legal age of retirement, in order to dedicate himself to his work, Billeter took stock of his experience in "Mémoire sur les études chinoises à Genève et ailleurs "("A Report on Chinese studies, in Geneva and beyond").A generous grant from the Taiwanese Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation had already enabled him to take a two-year sabbatical, from 1992 to 1994, and carry out his research on the "Zhuangzi".With very little leeway and tight financial conditions, Chinese studies in Geneva had to prioritize a solid and well-designed course in Mandarin.