Fangyan jiaoyao xulun 方言教要序論 = Faong yé kiao yao zu len = Dissertation méthodique en langue vulgaire sur les points essentiels de la religion / Ferdinand Verbiest 南懷仁, 1623-1688; Chong Zhengzi 崇正子.

A bilingual (Shanghai dialect and French) edition of Ferdinand Verbiest's (Nan Huairen 南懷仁, 1623-1688) Jiaoyao xulun 教要序論 [Structured discourse on the essentials of the teachings] from 1670 (not 1677, which is sometimes seen). The Shanghai-dialect text is printed both in Chinese characters and in Romanization.

Our copy carries a seal: 徐家匯彌撒會之印.

The main text is paginated by folio (96 folios with both Chinese and Latin-script text; 1 unmarked folio with only Latin-script text).

Our copy contains an undated preface signed Chong Zhengzi 崇正子, which we assume is a pseudonym. A second, anonymous translator's preface, in French, is dated 1884. An earlier printing of the Shanghainese text, which includes Chong Zhengzi's preface, was published in 1883; we assume that this edition served as the basis for the French translation. This earlier edition was, like ours, published using movable type. KU Leuven holds a copy, which has been transcribed in extenso and helpfully punctuated by Zhang Yumei 張玉梅 Nan Huairen "Jiaoyao xulun" xunguxue yanjiu 南懷仁《教要序論》訓詁學研究 (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 2016), app. 4. Yao Peng 姚鵬, Bainian liuze: cong Tushanwan dao Zhuxianghui 百年流澤：從土山灣到諸巷會, vol. 2, p. 1052 lists an edition in Shanghai dialect from 1880.

Two public transportation tickets were found inside this book when the library acquired it in 2025. One ticket (green, 6.5cm) was issued by Shanghai Tramways. The second (pink, 7cm) was issued by China General Omnibus Co. (C.G.O.Co.). The verso of the latter ticket carries an inscription in pencil: "From Yongan to Jing'an Temple, 4 cents | From Jing'an Temple to Nanyang College, 6 cents" 永安到靜安寺4分 | 靜安寺到南洋公學6分. These amounts correspond to those printed on the two tickets. As the page with the translator’s preface in the book has been marked, likewise in pencil, with the date “1941,” we assume that the two tickets date from that year.