Journal for History of Mathematics (한국수학사학회지)

The Korean Society for History of Mathematics (한국수학사학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Matteo Ricci, Xu Guangqi and the Translation of Euclid's Elements

마테오 리치와 서광계, 그리고 기하원본의 번역

  • Received : 2020.02.07
  • Accepted : 2020.04.28
  • Published : 2020.04.30
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

In 1607, Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi translated Euclid's 《Elements》 and published 《Jihe yuanben, 幾何原本》. Though 《Elements》 consists of 13 volumes (or 15 volumes according to its editions), they translated only the first 6 volumes on the plane geometry. Why did they do so? This paper discusses about the three questions which naturally arise: What might be the motive of the translation of the 《Elements》? What method did they adopt for the translation? And why did they translate the 6 volumes, especially, the first 6 volumes, not completing the whole?

Keywords

References

  1. Yves CAMUS, Jesuits' Journeys in Chinese Studies, Macau Ricci Institute, 2007. http://www.riccimac.org/doc/monographs/1/Jesuits_Journeys_in_chinese_studies.pdf
  2. Vincent CRONIN, The Wise Man from the West, Random House Books, The Harvill Press, 1999 (First published by Rupert Hart-Davis in 1955). ISBN 9781860466014, Epub ISBN: 9781446484890
  3. Peter M. ENGELFRIET, Euclid in China, Brill, 1998.
  4. Duncan FROST, Misrepresentation, Manipulation, and Misunderstandings: The Early Jesuit Mission to China 1580-1610, Master of Arts thesis, University of Kent, 2017.
  5. R. Po-Chia HSIA, A Jesuit in the Forbidden City: Matteo Ricci, 1552-1610, Oxford University Press, 2010.
  6. JEON Hong-Seok, A Study about Longobardi' s Line on Society of Jesus at the end of Ming Dynasty-centering on missionary work for spirituality of common people in ShaoZhou-, Catholic Theology 32 (2018.06.30.), 65-90. http://scholar.dkyobobook.co.kr/searchDetail.laf?barcode=4010026526824# https://doi.org/10.36515/ctak..32.201806.65
  7. KHANG Mee Kyung, Life and Thoughts of Xu Guang-qi in mathematical perspective, Journal for History of Mathematics 32(5)(2019), 233-240. https://doi.org/10.14477/JHM.2019.32.5.233
  8. Mary LAVEN, Mission to China: Matteo Ricci and the Jesuit Encounter with the East, Faber and Faber Ltd., 2011.
  9. OGAWA Masahiro, Xu Guangqi and the Chinese Translation of Euclid's Elements: Some Problems of Terminology and Their Cultural Context, HERSETEC 5(1) (2011), 13--33.
  10. Katharine Louise RENICH, The Life and Methods of Matteo Ricci: Jesuit Missionary to China, 1582-1610, Master of Arts thesis, University of Illinois, 1911.
  11. SIU Man Keung, When "Mr. Ou (Euclid)" came to China... (當 歐先生 來到中國...), Mathmedia(數學傳播) 38(4)(2014), 24-41. http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/214208, https://hkumath.hku.hk/-mks/MrOuChina_RevisedFinalDraft_MKSiu_Nov2013.pdf
  12. Jonathan D. SPENCE, The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci, Penguin Books, 1984.
  13. Frank J. SWETZ, Mathematical Treasure: Euclid in China, The First Translation of Euclid's Elements into Chinese, Math. Assoc. Amer. https://www.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/mathematical-treasure-euclid-in-china
  14. Frank J. SWETZ, Mathematical Treasure: Translation of Euclid's Elements in 19th Century China, Math. Assoc. Amer. https://www.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/mathematical-treasure-translation-of-euclids-elements-in-19th-century-china
  15. WU Zhiwei, Introducing a Western Scientific Work to China: Xu Guangqi and Matteo Ricci's Translation of The Elements of Geometry, (Supposed to be published in Journal of Sino-Western Cultural Studies (2008), 104-116), 253-263. http://comm.louisville.edu/iic/books/mx1/MX_Volume%20I_253-263_WU.pdf
  16. XU Guangqi, Classical Literature of Xu Guangqi. 서광계 저, 최형섭 역, 서광계문집, 지식을 만드는 지식, 2010.
  17. Wikipedia, Matteo Ricci. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteo_Ricci (19 Sept. 2019)
  18. Wikipedia, Xu Guangqi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu_Guangqi (21 Nov. 2019)
  19. Wikipedia Korea, Matteo Ricci(마테오 리치). https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/마테오_리치 (21 Nov. 2019)