Among the most important of Ricci's Chinese writings, covering a wide range of interesting topics. For notes on the Jiren shipian cf. N. Standaert, Handbook of Christianity in China, v. 1: a eulogy on Jiren shipian in the Zhu yi 朱翼, p. 139; Ricci’s discussions with scholars at Beijing, p. 475; discussions on the transitoriness of time, Ricci’s anti-Buddhism, and a conversation with the Donglin 東林 adherent Cao Yubian 曹于汴 (1558-1634, jinshi 1592), p. 478-479; on moralistic saying from Esopus and Epictetus, p. 606; on preaching to the literati vs. general population, p. 615.

明末清初耶穌會思想文獻匯編 = An expository collection of the Christian philosophical works between the end of the Ming dynasty and the beginning of the Qing dynasty in China ; 第3冊.

Local access dig.pdf. in folder: [Andrew Chung Series].

JapSin I, 52
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuits Archives in Rome, pp. 83-84.

Jiren shipian 畸人十篇
By Li Madou 利瑪竇 (Matteo Ricci).
Two juan in two volumes. Chinese bamboo paper. Printing blocks re-engraved 重鐫 in 1694 康熙甲戌歲 (Kangxi 33) and kept at the Church of the Annunciation in Peking 京都領報堂藏板. Reprinted by the Society of the Annunciation at Jintai [in Peking] 金臺聖母領報會重刊 in 1695 (Kangxi 34, 乙亥).

The covers of both volumes bear the title in Chinese with the number of the volume. The Latin inscription reads: “Stimuli ad bene vivéndúm | auctore P. Matth. Ricci S.J. 2 tomi.”

1. Xiqin quyi bazhang 西琴曲意八章, eight songs translated into Chinese, according to Ricci’s own preface. Among the gifts he presented to the emperor in the twenty-eighth year of the Wanli reign (14 February 1600–2 February 1601) there was a European musical instrument, a clavichord, which looked and sounded different from the Chinese instruments. The emperor sent word through the court musicians asking if there was appropriate music to go with this instrument. Ricci accordingly translated eight songs for the purpose (cf. FR 2:132 and notes).

2. The treatise Jiren shigui 畸人十規 by Lengshi Sheng 冷石生. The author signed only by his hao, Lengshi Sheng. Fortunately, Wang Jiazhi’s introduction to the Jiren shipian (Jap-Sin I, 52, ch. 1, ff 6r–7r) clearly states that Muzhongzi 木仲子 was the author of the Jiren shigui and we have been able to establish from the seal at the end of this introduction that Muzhongzi is none other than Wang Jiazhi himself. Hence we can conclude quite safely that Lengshi Sheng is another hao of Wang Jiazhi.

At the end there are two postscripts, one (folio 49) by Liang’an jushi 涼庵居士 (Li Zhizao) without date and another (folio 50) by Wang Ruchun 汪汝淳, dated 1611 (Wanli 39, 辛亥). At the very end of the book the date and place of the reprint are given as mentioned above.

Ricci himself testified that of all the books he wrote in Chinese the present book was the most influential and that it was warmly accepted by scholars. He worked on it for two years (1606–1608) and gave it the title Jiren shipian (Ten chapters by a non-conformer). Europeans, however, often called this book the Ten Paradoxes (thus Martini in his Brevis Relatio of 1654: “ldem alium typis evulgavit ki gin xe pien, hoc est, decem paradoxa .... [p. xxix]), not in the sense that they are truths beyond the common opinion, but truths very common among Christians, sounding unusual, however, in the ears of the pagans who have never heard sayings of this kind (see FR 2:302–306).
The book was published in 1608 by order of Francesco Pasio, who was then Visitor of the China and Japan missions. For the Chinese whose conversations with Ricci are recorded in the Jiren shipian, see FR 2:302–304 (note 4) and 3:12–15 (appendix II, notes).

Cf. Courant 6832; TV 2:361; RBS 399–2 & 3 (Zi-ka-wei, 15, VII, 1945), 218–2, 228–2.

Added keywords: music and songs, sacred music, Church music, music for clavichord, religious dialogue, cultural relations, Jesuit composers.

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