A Study Of The Rewritings In Matteo Ricci's Chinese Translations And Writings

Matteo Ricci is one of the most prominent figures in the Sino-Western cultural exchange climax initiated by the Jesuits in the late Ming background. The more than 20 Chinese translations and writings Ricci left behind are valued as fascinating subjects of various academic fields. However, in most of these studies, the literary creating process of Ricci's Chinese works seems having long been obscure to our attention. In view of it, this author makes a tentative approach to explore the rewritings which are frequently found in many of Ricci's Chinese works and constitute a vital part of Ricci's literary creation. This study is carried out within the framework of the manipulation theory. An examination of three of Ricci's Chinese works i.e. the Treatise on Friendship, the Book of Twenty-five Paragraphs, and the True Meaning of the Lord of the Heaven, is made to reflect the development of Ricci's rewriting acts and rewriting tactics. Ricci's rewriting acts are determined by three essentials i.e. the interaction between Ricci and his Chinese literati patrons; the genre of his Chinese literary works; and the development of his missionary strategy. Ricci's diverse rewriting tactics can be summarized as selection, deletion or evasion, replacement, transplanting, expansion, borrowing and reinterpreting etc. In conclusion, the rewritings in Ricci's Chinese literary works are defined as a three-fold literary creation being cultural, religious and political. With the present study, this author hopes more attention is drawn on the varying literary creating acts and tactics done by the Jesuits and other missionaries in the late Ming and early Qing background.