Quick Answer: Who Was Matteo Ricci in China?
Matteo Ricci (利玛窦, Lì Mǎdòu, 1552–1610) was an Italian Jesuit who established a mission in Ming China with fellow Jesuit Michele Ruggieri. He later worked with Chinese scholars and artisans on a world map and a translation of Euclid.[1][2]
- Mission: Ricci and Ruggieri established a base at Zhaoqing (肇庆, Zhàoqìng) in 1583.[1]
- Map: Ricci and Li Zhizao (李之藻, Lǐ Zhīzǎo) worked on the six-panel world map printed in Beijing in 1602.[3][4]
- Geometry: Ricci and Xu Guangqi (徐光启, Xú Guāngqǐ) produced a Chinese translation of the first six books of Euclid’s Elements.[6]
The map and the geometry translation preserve the work of different groups of collaborators.
A late Ming reader could encounter Ricci’s work on a wall or at a desk. The map put information about distant lands into Chinese. The geometry book put definitions, propositions and proofs into a form readers could follow and discuss.
How Ricci Built a Mission in Ming China
Ricci and Ruggieri established themselves in Guangdong with help from local officials. They initially dressed in clothing associated with Buddhist monks. Later Ricci adopted the dress of educated Chinese men and drew on Confucian learning in his engagement with scholars.[1][2]
He gained permission to live in Beijing in 1601 and taught mathematics there. For Ricci, relationships formed around scholarship were part of his work as a missionary.[2][7]
What the 1602 World Map Shows
The Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (坤舆万国全图, Kūnyú Wànguó Quántú) depicts the Americas and other regions with Chinese labels. Its six panels carry text about places and include smaller illustrations about the heavens and the calendar, such as diagrams of eclipses. An armillary sphere in the lower right shows how the map included material for reading the sky as well as the Earth.[4]
Li Zhizao worked with Ricci on the map. The University of Minnesota identifies Zhang Wentao as its printer and notes that Li may have engraved it. Producing the map required people who could adapt names and notes for Chinese readers and the skills of woodblock printing.[3]
How Ricci and Xu Guangqi Translated Euclid
The Chinese work Jihe Yuanben (几何原本, Jǐhé Yuánběn) drew on Christopher Clavius’s Latin edition of the Elements. Ricci explained the text orally. Xu set down the Chinese version. The translation uses Chinese terms for concepts such as points, parallel lines and triangles that remain in use.[5]
The Library of Congress catalog describes work on the translation in 1606.[5] The published translation is usually dated to 1607. It gave readers a new text to study alongside existing traditions of Chinese mathematics.[6]
Ricci describes revising the draft three times. Xu wanted to continue, while Ricci suggested printing the first six books so other readers could study them. Xu’s preface also presents the translation as a way to recover kinds of mathematical reasoning he believed had once been cultivated in China.[8]
FAQs About Matteo Ricci in China
What Was Matteo Ricci’s Chinese Name?
His Chinese name was Li Madou, written 利玛窦 in simplified characters.[2]
When Did Ricci Settle in Beijing?
Ricci gained permission to live in Beijing in 1601 and made the city his base.[7]
Did Ricci and Xu Translate All of Euclid’s Elements?
They translated the first six books of the Latin edition they used.[6]
Sources
[1] Oxford University Press. Zhaoqing, the Jesuit Mission From 1583 to 1587
[2] Springer. The Pentecost and the Jesuits of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
[3] James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota. 1602 World Map of Matteo Ricci
[4] Library of Congress. Kun Yu Wan Guo Quan Tu
[5] Library of Congress. Ji He Yuan Ben, Six Juan
[6] Man-Keung Siu. 1607, a Year of Some Significance
[7] MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews. Xu Guang-Qi
[8] Xu Guangqi and Matteo Ricci. Original Prefaces to Jihe Yuanben