Subject: Moral education--China--Catholic authors

Duoshu 鐸書. [Jap-Sin I, 144]
AuthorHan Lin 韓霖, 1601-1649
Place---
Publisher---
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (Text in Collection)
Series
ShelfARSI
Call NumberBX1665.A2 H85 1996 v.2 (ed.)
Description1 juan. (v.2, p. 599-862)
NoteSee: CCT ZKW collection

JapSin I, 144
Duoshu 鐸書.
By Han Lin 韓霖. One juan. Chinese bamboo paper in two volumes. No date or place of publication.

The cover of volume two bears the title in Chinese, while the cover of volume one bears a Latin inscription: “To xu, seu sex | articuli doctrinae | Sinis tradi iussae sin | gulis mensibus; -- explicati fusius | a christiano licentiato | Han Lin | 2 tomi.”
There is a preface (seven folios) by an anonymous jinshi and government official, and another by Li Zhengxiu 李政修, also a jinshi and government official. Then follows a list (two folios) with the names of those who had helped with the editing and proofreading 較刻. For jiao (to collate) the character 較 is used instead of 校, because the latter was the tabooed name of the Chongzhen emperor. This indicates that the book was published during his reign. On folio 2v the two brothers of the author are named as editors: Han Yun 韓雲 (zi 景伯) and Han Xia 韓霞 (zi 九光). The two sons of the author, Wuyi 無斁 and Wuqi 無期 are named as proofreaders 全閱 (the character quan 全 is a misprint of tong 仝, meaning ‘together’).
At the beginning of volume A there is a synopsis (five folios), dated Chongzhen xinsi 辛巳 (1641). There are nine columns in each half folio with eighteen characters in each column. Commentaries are given on the side margins and across the top margins. The upper middle of each folio bears the title of the book; the title of the chapter is given below the fish-tail together with the number of the folio. The main text covers thirty-nine folios in volume A and seventy-four in volume B.
The Duoshu takes the Shengyu liuyan 聖諭六言 (Sacred instructions in six chapters), written by the founder of the Ming dynasty, and gives comments on it line by line. These instructions were intended for the illiterate and they contained the following headings: “Be filial to parents; show respect to elders; live in harmony with neighbours; instruct sons and grandsons; be content with your calling; and do no evil.” The comments quote not only from Chinese books but also from writings of contemporary missioners in China. The chapter on living in harmony with one’s neighbours (vol. A, f. 26), for instance, quotes a saint of the West, which quotation is taken from the Shengren xingshi 聖人行實 (juan 2, ff. 28v–29r) by Alfonso Vagnone (cf. Jap-Sin I, 65). Again, vol. B, f. 42r, says that the Western scholar Gao Zesheng had written a book for the instruction of the young (Tongyou jiaoyu 童幼教育, cf. Jap-Sin II, 54), which could be considered as a supplement to the Xiaoxue 小學, written by the Song scholar Zhu Xi 朱熹. Then, in the chapter on avoiding evil deeds (vol. B, f. 71r), the Dizui zhenggui 滌罪正規 of Aleni (cf. Jap-Sin I, 79) is quoted. De Pantoja’s Qike 七克 (cf. Jap-Sin I, 86) is quoted in order to show how one can overcome the seven capital sins by practising the seven virtues. The book mentions also God’s creation of the angels, men and animals, a theme which appeared so often in the catechisms of those days (vol. B, f. 64r). The Holy Scriptures are occasionally quoted; e.g. vol. A, f. 34v, quotes St. Matthew V, 39–40. All these quotations are inserted so skillfully that the text glides along with great smoothness and naturalness. The book must have seemed sensational to contemporary readers. It is so old and yet so new; so full of moral maxims that one could stop at any of passages for a fruitful meditation. Han Lin was one of the contemporary scholars who could quote with facility and grace from the writings of both Chinese and Western authors. The Duoshu was reprinted in Beijing in 1918 with a preface by the renowned scholar Chen Yuan 陳垣.

Cf. Courant 3326; Hsü 1949, pp. 137–140.

Han Lin (zi 雨公, hao 寓菴), scholar and official, was a native of Jiangzhou 絳州 (Shanxi). He became a senior licentiate (suigong 歲貢) in 1617 and a jinshi in 1621. While in Beijing he made the acquaintance of Xu Guangqi and Alfonso Vagnone. Later he was baptized by Aleni, taking the Christian name Thomas. He had inherited a valuable library from his forefathers and had increased the collection by his wide travelling.
At his native place Han Lin led many of his relatives into the Church. Both he and his fellow townsman Duan Gun 段袞 (zi 九章) became zealous assistants of Vagnone, when he came to found the mission in Shanxi. Besides the Duoshu Han Lin also wrote in collaboration with his friend Zhang Geng 張賡 the Shengjiao xinzheng 聖教信證 (Proofs of the Christian religion), cf. Jap-Sin I, 191.
According to the gazetteers of Jiangzhou, Han Lin seems to have lost his life while hiding from bandits when they took that city in 1644, but the circumstances of his death are not clear; cf. Ye Delu 葉德祿, “Qianlong Jiangzhou zhi zhi Han Lin 乾隆絳州志之韓霖”, in: Xin beichen 新北辰, vol. 3, no. 8 (1937).

For the biography of Han Lin and his three brothers, cf. ECCP 1:274–275; Margiotti, pp. 310–318; JWC 1:253–258; Pfister, p. 212.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 190-191.

Full bibliographic citation, see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database).

Multimedia
Jesuit chreia in late Ming China : two studies with an annotated translation of Alfonso Vagnone's Illustrations of the Grand Dao. [Dadao jiyan 達道紀言. English & Chinese]
AuthorVagnone, Alfonso 高一志, 1566-1640Meynard, Thierry 梅謙立Li Sher-Shiueh [Li Shixue 李奭學]
PlaceBern
PublisherPeter Lang
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageEnglish, Chinese
TypeBook, Digital Book (PDF)
SeriesEuro-sinica ; Bd. 14
ShelfHallway Cases, Digital Archives
Call NumberPA3469.C48 L5 2014
Description373 pages ; 22 cm.+ pdf
Note

Jesuit chreia in late Ming China : two studies with an annotated translation of Alfonso Vagnone's Illustrations of the Grand Dao / Sher-shiueh Li and Thierry Meynard.
Translation of: Dadao jiyan 達道紀言.
English and Chinese text with English translations.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 345-368) and index.

Table of Contents-- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Ming Jesuit Chreia in Chinese: An Analysis of Its Types and Functions / SHER-SHIUEH LI -- Illustrations of the Grand Dao: A Book of Rhetoric and Morality in Late-Ming China / THIERRY MEYNARD -- Alfonso Vagnone’s Illustrations of the Grand Dao, Vol. I. Edited, Translated and Commented by SHER-SHIUEH LI and THIERRY MEYNARD . . . Preface -- Ruler-Official Relationship -- Alfonso Vagnone’s Illustrations of the Grand Dao, Vol. II -- Father-Son Relationship -- Brothers Relationship -- Husband-Wife Relationship -- Friends Relationship -- Charts -- Bibliography -- Index of Names.

Ming Jesuit chreia in Chinese : an analysis of its types and functions by / Sher-Shiueh Li -- Illustrations of the Grand Dao : a book of rhetoric and morality in late Ming China / Thierry Meynard -- Alfonso Vagnone's illustrations of the Grand Dao / edited, translated and commented by Sher-Shiveh LI and Thierry Menard.

“In an astonishing collaboration the Italian Jesuit Alfonso Vagnone (also known as GaoYizhi) and with and the Chinese scholar-official Han Yun wrote down 355 chreiai and sayings, bringing classic Western rhetoric teaching to the late Ming China. In this book, two specialists present complementary studies on the historical, political, and literary background of this interesting topic.”--OCLC note.

Used by Classical and Medieval Western schools to teach rhetoric, a chreia is a brief moral story attributed to a famous historical figure. In Late Ming China, the Italian Jesuit Alfonso Vagnone, also named Gao Yizhi, and the Chinese scholar-official Han Yun collaborated on a project to write down 355 chreiai and sayings. These short commentaries are not mere translations of the Greco-Roman text but the elaborate literary creations of two luminaries working at the junction between Chinese and Western wisdom literature. Along with the original Chinese and its English translation (the original source is included when available) the authors share their expert analysis of each chreia. This study will interest scholars across disciplines: Chinese literature, Comparative literature, Sinology, Chinese thought, Christian studies, Western classics and Moral Philosophy.

Local access dig. pdf. [Li-Meynard-Jesuit Chreia Vagnone.pdf]

Multimedia
ISBN9783034314398 ; 3034314396
LCCN2013022632
Lixiu yijian 勵修一鑑. [Lixiu yijian 勵脩一鑑] [BnF 6876, 6878. Jap-Sin I, 166e]
AuthorLi Jiugong 李九功, d. 1681
Place---
Publisher---
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (Text in Collection)
Series
ShelfHallway Cases
Call NumberBX1665.A24 B526 2009 v.7
Description2 juan (v.7.41)
NoteIn: 法國國家圖書館明清天主教文獻. Chinese Christian texts from the National Library of France, v. v. 7 pt. 41. Li Jiugong 李九功. Lixiu yijian 勵脩一鑑 (juan 1-2) [6876][6878].
In: WXSB, v.1, p. 411-530.

Full bibliographic record see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database).

JapSin I, 166.e
Lixiu yijian 勵修一鑑.
By Li Jiugong 李九功.
Two juan (only juan one is extant). Chinese bamboo paper. No date or place of publication.

The cover bears the title and a Latin inscription: “De studio per | fectionis, id est de rebus ac mysteriis | fidei | a christiano | Li Kieu Kum.”
There are prefaces by:

1. Li Sixuan 李嗣玄 (zi 又玄), four folios.
2. Zhang Geng 張賡, two folios.
3. Chen Zhongdan 陳衷丹, dated 1645 (yiyou 乙酉), three folios.
4. The author, dated 1639 (Chongzhen 12), three folios.

There follows a general table of contents for juan A (one folio), a list of books quoted (one folio) and directions to the readers (two folios).
Folio 1a gives the title of the book and the name of its author: 勵修一鑑上卷,福唐李九功其敘纂評, those of the revisers: Li Sixuan of Sui’an 綏安 (Fujian) and Yan Zanhua 嚴贊化 (zi 參思) of Qingzhang 清漳 (Fujian), and of the proofreader, the author’s elder brother: Li Jiubiao 李九標 (zi 其香).
The main text consists of forty-three folios. There are nine columns in each half folio with twenty characters to each column. The upper middle of the folio gives the title of the book with the number of the juan, of the chapter and of the folio. Commentaries are given on the top margin of the folios.

Li Sixuan in his preface tells very briefly what this book is about: a collection of religious events and edifying stories of the Catholic Church. The preface written by Li Jiugong himself recalls how in 1635 (Chongzhen 8), when he was studying on the seacoast, he was far from his spiritual directors and good friends. He took out his books and went through them one by one. Then a thought came as a light to him that good books help to increase one’s spiritual knowledge in the way that the rain helps to develop the good tender blade. Just as the rain falls without seeking a preferable place, so good books instruct without seeking for a preferable student. Inspired by this thought, he began to take notes on what he read and after months of work he finally offered his book to the public with the hope that it might be a good help to his readers.
The book is orderly arranged. It begins with the prefaces followed by the table of contents, a list of books quoted and directions for the readers. Going through these pages gives one a clear idea of what the whole treatise is about. One does not often find such good arrangements in the writings of his time. The author in his book refers not only to historical figures but also to contemporary persons, Chinese as well as foreigners. Psychologically it ought to have had a good effect on the readers of his time.
Among the books quoted by the author there are titles that are no longer extant or, if still extant, are very rare, such as the Lixue guyan 勵學古言, Dejie 德楷, Zhu’en xianxi 主恩顯錫, and Minzhong qinchongfan 閩中欽崇範.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 222-223.

Multimedia
Pantoja's Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克) and the Reconstruction of the Moral Authority in late Ming China. [Qike 七克. Prefaces. English & Chinese]
AuthorPantoja, Diego de 龐迪我, 1571-1618Peng Haitao 彭海濤 [彭海涛]
PlaceBarcelona
PublisherPompeu Fabra University
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageEnglish, Chinese, Spanish
TypeThesis/Dissertation (PDF)
Series
ShelfDigital Archives
Call NumberBV4626.P36 Q4513 2020
Descriptionpdf [xx, 284 pages]
Note

Pantoja's Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克) and the Reconstruction of the Moral Authority in late Ming China / Haitao Peng.

TESI DOCTORAL UPF / 2020. DIRECTOR: Dr. Manel Ollé Rodríguez
INSTITUT D’HISTÒRIA JAUME VICENS I VIVES / DEPARTAMENT D’HUMANITATS

Includes bibliographical references (p.229-243)

Local access dig.pdf [Peng-Septem Victoriis.pdf]

See Japonica-Sinica eds. for more information

Abstract
The thesis aims to analyze the role of Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克), an moral philosophy book of the Spanish Jesuit Diego de Pantoja, in the process of the reconstruction of the moral authority in late Ming China. Since the beginning of the 16th century, China was undergoing a severe social-political crisis. The orthodox literati attributed the social-political crisis to the decline of moral authority and proposed to re-establish moral authority and the highest moral standards. The preaching of God as the source of moral principles and the ultimate goal of moral conduct in Pantoja’s book attracted the orthodox literati. They reinterpreted the book of the Spanish Jesuit and even modified it to meet their own need. As a result, Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克) wielded a specific influence in the development of moral philosophy in the late Ming and early Qing periods.

Resumen
La tesis tiene como objetivo analizar el papel de Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克), un libro de filosofía moral del jesuita español Diego de Pantoja, en el proceso de reconstrucción de la autoridad moral a finales del período Ming. Desde principios del siglo XVI, China atravesaba una grave crisis sociopolítica. Los literati ortodoxos atribuyeron la crisis sociopolítica al declive de la autoridad moral y propusieron restablecerlo y los más altos estándares de moralidad. La predicación de Dios como fuente de principios morales y el objetivo final de la conducta moral en el libro de Pantoja atrajo a los literatu ortodoxos. Reinterpretaron el libro del jesuita español e incluso lo modificaron para satisfacer sus propias necesidades. Por este motivo, Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克) ejerció una influencia específica en el desarrollo de la filosofía moral en el período de finales de Ming y principios de Qing.

Multimedia
Qike 七克
AuthorPantoja, Diego de 龐迪我, 1571-1618
PlaceJingdu 京都 [i.e. Beijing]
PublisherShitai Datang 始胎大堂
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (stitch-bound 線裝本)
Series
ShelfRare Book Cabinet
Call NumberBV4626.P36 1798
Description7 juan in 2, bound in 1 v. ; 26 cm.
NoteQike 七克 / [Pang Diwo zhuanshu 龐迪我譔述].
“天主降生一千六十四三[1643]年 極西龐迪我譔述 -- 天主降生一千七百九十八[1798]年 主教湯亞立山准'--t.p. verso.

“....One of the most popular works on Christian ethics was Diego de Pantoja’s (1571-1618) Qike 七克 (The Seven Victories). In a lengthy exposition it explained how one should overcome the seven capital sins: pride, envy, greed, anger, gluttony, lust, and sloth. The scholars who wrote a preface to the work showed a sense that these Seven Victories might be enlisted in the attempt to rouse China from its complacency and the literati from their self-indulgence. It was considered a text that contained useful and sound moral advice, regardless of one’s theological predilections. Moreover, they assimilated this book on deadly sins with the Chinese genre of “ledgers of merit and demerit”... (gongguoge 功過格)... a type of morality book during the early seventeenth century .... lists of virtues and moral actions..." -- Cf. Standaert, Handbook of Christianity in China, v.1, p. 655-656.

Please refer to Japonica-Sinica edition for online texts, links, and Fr. Albert Chan, S.J. extensive bibliographical entry.
This edition online at National Library of Australia.

Multimedia
Qike 七克. [Jap-Sin I, 84, I, 85, I, 86]
AuthorPantoja, Diego de 龐迪我, 1571-1618Yang Tingyun 楊廷筠, 1562-1627
PlaceTaibei Shi 臺北市
PublisherTaiwan xuesheng shuju 臺灣學生書局
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (Text in Collection), Digital Book (PDF)
Series
ShelfDigital Archives, Case X
Call NumberBX880.L5 1965x v.2
Descriptionv.2, p 689-1126 ; 26 cm.
Note

Qike 七克 / Diego de Pantoja 龐迪我 (Seven Capital sins and seven opposing virtues) in Tianxue chuhan 天學初函 v.2, pp. 689-1126.
Originally published: 明萬曆42 [1614].
Local access in print (bound photocopy) and dig. pdf. [Tianxue chuhan.pdf].


See also: 京都: 始胎大堂 1798 edition online at National Library of Australia.
Juan 4, 5, 6, see: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, München.
Full citation see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database).

“….One of the most popular works on Christian ethics was Diego de Pantoja’s (1571-1618) Qike 七克 (The Seven Victories). In a lengthy exposition it explained how one should overcome the seven capital sins: pride, envy, greed, anger, gluttony, lust, and sloth. The scholars who wrote a preface to the work showed a sense that these Seven Victories might be enlisted in the attempt to rouse China from its complacency and the literati from their self-indulgence. It was considered a text that contained useful and sound moral advice, regardless of one’s theological predilections. Moreover, they assimilated this book on deadly sins with the Chinese genre of “ledgers of merit and demerit” … (gongguoge 功過格)….a type of morality book during the early seventeenth century…..lists of virtues and moral actions…”
Cf. Standaert, Handbook of Christianity in China, v.1, p. 655-656.

See also: Robert R. Ellis, They Need Nothing: Hispanic-Asian Encounters of the Colonial Period, pp.98-101.

Following descriptions apply to ARSI Jap-Sin collection:

Jap-Sin I, 84
Qike 七克
By Pang Diwo 龐迪我 (Diego de Pantoja, 1571–1618).
Seven juan (only juan 1–3 are preserved). Chinese bamboo paper in one volume.
The cover bears the title.

There are six prefaces, written by:
1. Chen Liangcai 陳亮采 , Vice Surveillance Commissioner of Shantung, four folios.
2. Cao Yubian 曹于汴, a native of Shansi.
3. Zheng Yiwei 鄭以偉 of Shangyao 上饒 (Jiangsi), four folios.
4. Xiong Mingyu 熊明遇 of Nanzhou 南州 (Nanchang 南昌, Jiangsi), two folios.
5. Yang Tingyun 楊廷筠 of Wulin 武林 (Hangzhou), four and one-half folios.
6. De Pantoja, dated 1607, three folios with the seal of the Society of Jesus at the end.

After the prefaces follows a table of contents (one folio). At the beginning of each juan there is a short introduction by Cui Chang 崔淐 of Jiangdong 江東 (Southern Zhili); cf. Sommervogel (vol. VI, col. 174, no. 8): “Un Chrétien nommé Tsoui tchang, dit le P. Foureau, qui avait aidé le Père en ce travail, a mis une préface de sa façon à chacun des sept chapitres, dans laquelle il a inséré plusieurs fables d’Ésope . . . (Cordier, p. 35).” The introduction to juan 3, however, is missing.
There are nine columns in each half folio. The first column of each paragraph has twenty-two characters and the other columns twenty-one. The upper middle of each folio bears the title, with the number of the juan and of the folio given below.
Colombel states: “ . . . le P. Pantoja, compagnon du P. Mathieu depuis les premières années de son séjour à Pékin. Le P. Pantoja publiait à cette époque un livre resté célèbre, où la collaboration de Siu Koang ki est certaine. Il est intitulé ‘Les Sept Victoires’.” (vol. I, p. 294).
Cf. Jap-Sin I, 85 and 86.

Jap-Sin I, 85
Qike 七克
By Pang Diwo 龐迪我
Seven juan. Chinese bamboo paper in four volumes.
The cover of each volume bears a Latin inscription, giving the title, the author of the book and the number of the juan. Inside the cover of each volume there is a red label giving the author, the title of the book and the number of the juan. The format of this book is the same as that of Jap-Sin I, 84, except for an additional preface (six and one-half folios) by Cui Chang 崔淐 dated Wanli 39 (1611, 辛亥 ). The preface by Yang Tingyun goes before that of Chen Liangcai. There is a short introduction by Cui Chang before each juan.
At the end of the last volume there is a postscript (one folio) by Wang Ruchun 汪汝淳 (cf. Jap-Sin I, 45), dated Wanli jiayin 甲寅 (1614), which indicates that the book was published in that year in Hangzhou and probably is a new edition.

Jap-Sin I, 86
Qike 七克
By Pang Diwo 龐迪我 (Diego de Pantoja).
Seven juan Chinese bamboo paper in three volumes. Re-engraved by the Lingbaotang 領報堂 (Church of the Annunciation) of Peking in 1694 (Kangxi 33).
The cover bears the title.

The first folio bears at the back the title in two large characters. The top right gives the date of re-engraving and the lower left the place of publication.
Compared with Jap-Sin I, 84 this edition has an additional preface (one and one-half folio) by Peng Duanwu 彭端吾 of Dangjun 碭郡 with the heading Ti Xisheng qipian xu 題西聖七篇序 (Preface to the seven treatises of the Western sage). Yang Tingyun’s preface comes after that of Chen Liangcai in block letters, while those of Chen and Cui Chang remain in handwritten style. The preface by Zheng Yiwei is omitted. At the end of de Pantoja’s preface there are two seals, the upper one bearing the name of the author and the lower one his zi (Shunyang 順陽).
There are nine columns in every half folio. The first column of each paragraph contains twenty-one and the rest of the paragraph twenty characters in each column. The upper middle of each folio bears the title with the number of the juan and of the folio marked below.
Cf. Pfister, pp. 71–72; Hsü 1949, pp. 51–56; Courant 7177–7185; BR, p. XXX; Couplet, p. 9.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese books and documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 136-138.

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Shensi lu 慎思錄. [Jap-Sin I, 34/37, 1. Jap-Sin I, 166.d]
AuthorLi Jiugong 李九功, d. 1681
PlaceFujian 福建
Publisher---
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook
SeriesChinese Christian texts from the Roman Archives of the Society of Jesus ; v. 9, Yesuhui Luoma dang'anguan Ming-Qing Tianzhujiao wenxian 耶穌會羅馬檔案館明清天主教文獻 ; 第9冊
ShelfHallway Cases
Call NumberBX1665.A2 Y47 2002 v.9
Descriptionv. 9, pp. 119-238 ; 21 cm.
Note"Postumously edited by Li Jiugong’s son, Leontius Li Yifen, who later became the language teacher of Maigrot .... the Shensi lu (Album of Cautious Thoughts), a book on practical morality .... arranged according to three relationships of the individual: to the Lord of Heaven (jingzhu 敬主 or hetian 和天), to others (airen 愛人 or heren 和人) and to oneself (xiuji 修己 or heji 和己). Li’s pupose was to harmonize these three relationships since they could not be separated and were different ways of “fitting in with the will of the Lord Heaven” (chunhe zhuming 純和主命). --Cf. Standaert, Handbook of Christianity in China, v.1, p. 423, 657.

JapSin I, 34/37, 1
Shensi lu 慎思錄.
By Li Jiugong 李九功.
Three ji 集 (collections) in one volume. Chinese bamboo paper.

On the cover there is a Latin inscription: “Christianae Considerationes et Annotationes in libros classicos Sinarum a Christiano li kieu kum.”
The title page reads: “A work of Mr. Li Qixu of Futang | Shensi 慎思 | Property of Lüzhuang tang 綠庄堂.” The back of this folio gives a list of those who had helped in the publication of this book, all natives of Shangyang 上洋 (Shanghai): Gong Junrui 龔君瑞, Yao Mingqing 姚明卿, Zhang Junsheng 張君盛, Qu Erxing 瞿爾馨, Hou Dingyuan 候定遠•, Qian Mengqing 錢孟卿, Li Xianyuan 李仙源, Wang Renhui 王彥輝 and Yang Madou (Matthew) 楊瑪竇.

There are prefaces by Liu Yunde 劉蘊德and Yan Zanhua 嚴贊化 of Qingzhang 清漳 (Fujian), an introduction by the author’s son Li Yifen 李奕芬 (zi Suoliang 所良) and a postscript by Jia Yue 嘉約, at the end of which there is a square black wooden seal with the four characters: 木天清望 (Mutian qingwang).
On folio 1a of the first collection one reads: “Written by Li Jiugong, zi Qixu, of Futang, compiled by his son Yifen 奕芬, approved by He Dechuan 何德川 of the Extreme West 遠西 (Antonio de Gouvea, 1592–1677).”
The proofreaders were Zhu Shi 祝石 (zi 子堅) of Gushui 瀔水 (Jiangsu), He Ruda 何如答 (zi 維馨) of Aojiang 鼇江 (Fujian), Zou Shao 鄒劭 (zi 邁菴) of Gu Wu 古吳 (Jiangsu), Wang Qian 王謙 (Duomo 多默 [Thomas]) of Nanjian 南劍 (Sichuan), Chen Kesheng 陳克生 (zi 孔昭) of Jin‘an 晉安 (Fujian) and Lu Xiyan 陸希言 (zi 思默, Dominicus, Chinese Jesuit brother, 1630–1704) of Yunjian 雲間 (Jiangsu). The final proofreading was done by Li Jiugong’s disciples, namely Guo Hongye 郭鴻業 (zi 君業) of the same town and Li Zhaofan 李昭璠 (zi 聖望) of Guangdong.
There are commentaries on the margins of some of the folios. In the third collection there are punctuations in red ink.
In the previous number we gave a short biography of Li Jiugong. The present book is one of the posthumous collections of his writings published by his son. In the introduction Li Yifen states that his aged father used to pass his sleepless nights reflecting and praying. At dawn he would then jot down the fruit of his meditation, which he gave the title Shensi (Untrammelled thinking). The writing was done casually and without order. In 1681 (Kangxi 20), when the old man died, a number of his writings remained unedited, such as the Wenda huichao 問答彙抄 (see next number) and the Zuoyu guangshi 座隅廣識. It was then decided to publish these three collections in one volume. The book consists of 137 paragraphs and successively treats:

1. Reconciliation with God (forty-two paragraphs).
2. Reconciliation with oneself (forty paragraphs).
3. Reconciliation with one’s neighbor (fifty-five paragraphs).

In folio 11 of the first collection Li Jiugong gives a list of Catholic books that one must read. He was convinced that the Gospel had been preached in China since the time of the Apostle St. Thomas and gives a number of proofs from discoveries of crosses in different regions and in diverse epochs of Chinese history.
In folio 1b of the third collection Li Jiugong clearly exposes the errors of contemporary pagan traditions: the postponement of burial, the drowning of infant girls and the practice of sodomy. In the following folios he strongly opposes concubinage. On the other hand, he considers it morally wrong for a woman to take her own life in order to prove fidelity to her deceased husband or fiance (collection 2, folios 11b–13a).
In folios 13b–14b of the third collection Li Jiugong tells us that the only liking he had in life was for reading books, particularly Catholic books.

From my youth to my old age I never gave up reading . . . A new book for me is a new friend and the books that I have read are all old friends . . . I never worry that my friends may leave me. On the contrary, I am afraid that some time or another I shall have to leave them (his books). First, I have to let them go when I am on my sick bed. Then, I have to put them aside when my eyes get very tired, and finally, when I am on the move I can not help parting from them. May the Good Lord grant me good health and good sight in my old age that I may enjoy a peaceful life, thus enabling me to avoid the above mentioned inconveniences. What could be happier than to be able to keep up my friendship and to spend the rest of my life in this happy state?
Cf. Courant 7227.
Source: Albert Chan, SJ, Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 30-32.

JapSin I, 166.d
Shensi lu 慎思錄.
By Li Jiugong 李九功.
Three collections (ji 集). Chinese paper known as yukouzhi 玉口紙. One volume. Printing blocks kept at the Lüzhuangtang 綠庄堂. No date or place of publication.

The cover bears the title in Chinese, with a Portuguese and a Latin inscription: “Composto pelo Pay do Li So Leam celebre | Siam Cum do Sôr Maigrot” (Composed by the father of Li So Leam [Li Suoliang 李所良], the well-known xianggong [相公] of his Lordship [Bishop] Maigrot). “Christianae considerationes, et annotationes | in libros classicos sinarum | a christiano Li Kieu Kum.”
This is a duplicate of Jap-Sin I, 34/37.1. Only the order of the prefaces is different and the folios 11–14 of the third ji are printed on white paper.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 221-222.

Library note: An unrelated Japanese work of the same title also deals with Confucian philosophy and conduct of life. See: Kaibara Ekiken 貝原益軒 (1630-1714), Shinshiroku 慎思錄.

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Wenda huichao 問答彙抄. [Jap-Sin I, 34/37, 2/2–2/4]
AuthorLi Jiugong 李九功, d. 1681
PlaceTaibei 臺北
PublisherTaipei Ricci Institute 利氏學社
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition初版
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook
SeriesYesuhui Luoma dang'anguan Ming-Qing Tianzhujiao wenxian 耶穌會羅馬檔案館明清天主教文獻 ; 第8冊, Chinese Christian texts from the Roman Archives of the Society of Jesus ; v. 8
ShelfHallway Cases
Call NumberBX1665.A2 Y47 2002 v. 8
Descriptionp. 235-604 ; 22 cm.
NoteJapSin I, 34/37, 2/2–2/4
Wenda huichao 問答彙抄.
Compiled by Li Jiugong 李九功.
Manuscript, eight juan in four volumes. Chinese bamboo paper. 25 x 14 cm.
On the cover there is a Portuguese inscription in Chinese ink: “Pay do li so leam.” The Latin inscription in European ink reads: “Uen ta guey chao, id est Varia Responsa ad quaesita circa res fidei, et mores. A Bacchalaureo ly kieu kum Thoma christiano. 8 tomi.”
The title pages of all four volumes bear the title of the book and the number of the volume. In addition, juan 1–4 have the subtitle: Zhengzheng ji 證正集 (Collection in testimony of the truth) and juan 5–8 the subtitle: Piyi ji 闢異集 (Collection in refutation of superstitions).
Juan 1 and 2 have the following inscription: “Compiled by Li Duomo 李多默 (Thomas) Jiugong 九功 of Minzhong 閩中 (Fujian).” The other juan bear the inscription: “Compiled by Li Jiugong, [zi] Qixu 其敘, of Minzhong. Proofread by his son Yifen 奕芬and proofcorrected by Liu Yunde 劉蘊德, [zi] Sugong 素公, of Chuzhong 楚中 (Huguang).”
The handwriting of the manuscript is by no means elegant and it is clear that it was done by several scribes. The abbreviated characters show that the manuscript is not an original copy. The first juan contains twenty-six and the second thirty-four paragraphs. After that, some of the paragraphs are missing, misplaced or repeat themselves. The manuscript does not seem to be a final one.

From the title huichao 彙抄(compilation), it is clear that Li Jiugong had in mind a compilation taken from the writings of contemporary Catholic writers, missioners as well as lay scholars, putting them in classified order and in the form of questions and answers, in order to help the reading public to get a better understanding of Catholic teaching. At the end of the manuscript a bibliographical list is given. In general, the manuscript deals with the teaching of the Catholic church and morality. From juan 5 on, attention is paid to pointing out and refuting the errors of pagan superstition.
This is one of the books of Li Jiugong, mentioned by his son as being unpublished at the time of his father’s death (see previous number).

Source: Albert Chan, SJ, Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 32-33.

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Wenxing cuichao 文行粹抄. [Jap-Sin I, 34.a-b]
AuthorLi Jiugong 李九功, d. 1681
PlaceFujian 福建
PublisherLüzhuangtang 綠庄堂
CollectionARSI
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook
Series
ShelfARSI
Call NumberNOT HELD. DESCRIPTION ONLY
Description5 v. ; n.d.
NoteJapSin I, 34.a
Wenxing cuichao 文行粹抄.
Compiled by Li Jiugong 李九功.
Five juan in five volumes. First four volumes are white paper and the fifth is bamboo paper. Early Qing edition. The book is in very good condition.
On the cover of volume 1 there is a Latin inscription in European ink: “Uen him çuy chao, id est liber de morum compositione a bacchalaureo Kieu Kum Li Thoma Christiano. Continet 5. tomos.” On the cover of volume four there is a Portuguese inscription in Chinese ink: “Composto pelo Pay do Li so leam celebre siam cum do Dor.e Maygrot.”
The title page reads: Compiled by Li Qixu 李其敘 of Futang 福唐 (Fujian), wooden blocks [of the book] kept by the Lüzhuang tang 綠庄堂.
There is a preface by Lin Yijun 林一儁 (zi 用籲, hao 淡薄主人); another preface is by Liu Yunde 劉蘊德 (Blasius Verbiest, Chinese Jesuit, 1628–1707), dated Kangxi 19 (1680) and written at the Lüzhuang 綠庄 of Rongcheng 榕城. The preface by Zhang Limin 張利民 bears no date. From the seal he put at the end of his preface: 庚辰進士, we know that he obtained his jinshi degree in 1640 (Chongzhen 13). Finally there is the author’s own preface, dated Kangxi 17 (1678). There follow some general remarks of the book and a table of contents.

The Wenxing cuichao is a collection of ancient sayings and anecdotes chosen to edify the public. Many of these are taken from the writings of contemporary missioners in China and of exemplary converts, such as the Daiyi bian 代疑編 by Michael Yang Tingyun 楊廷筠 (Jap-Sin I, 165b), the Piwang 闢妄 by Paul Xu Guangqi 徐光啟 (Jap-Sin I, 159), the Xingxue cushu 性學觕書 by Giulio Aleni (Jap-Sin II, 16), the Feilu huida 斐錄彙答 by Alfonso Vagnone (Jap-Sin II, 57), the Huanyou quan 寰有詮 by Francisco Furtado and Li Zhizao 李之藻, and the Zhujiao yuanqi 主教緣起 (Jap-Sin II, 36) by Adam Schall. The book is divided under three headings:

1. Chongde 崇德 (the estimation of virtue), juan 1–3.
2. Xiute 修慝 (the betterment of one’s own conduct), juan 4.
3. Bianhuo 辨惑 (the dissipation of doubts), juan 5.

Before each of the these three parts there is a short introduction by Li Yifen 李奕芬 (zi Suoliang 所良), the son of the author.
Cf. Jap-Sin I, 34b; Courant 3433–3434.

Li Jiugong (zi Qixu 其敘) was a native of Fujian. In the preface to his book Lixiu yijian 勵修一鑑 (Jap-Sin I, 166.e), published in 1639 (Chongzhen 12), he tells us that in 1628 (Chongzhen 1) both he and his elder brother Jiubiao 九標 (zi Qixiang 其香) were taking part in the government examinations at Sanshan 三山 (Fujian). It was there that they met Giulio Aleni for the first time. They were much impressed by the Christian doctrine and were soon baptized.

Liu Yunde in his preface gives an interesting account of Li Jiugong’s family. Li’s grandfather was a learned scholar, competent in the classics. The scholar and minister Wang Shimao 王世懋 (1536–1588) thought highly of him. Li Jiugong’s elder brother Jiubiao, an official at the ministry of Ceremonies (太堂寺), was known for his writings. He had written two books: the Shen[Zhen]shu 枕書 and the Kouduo 口鐸 (cf. Jap-Sin I, 81). Then we are told that Jiugong’s son Li Suoliang 李所良 was an accomplished literateur. He passed his provincial examinations with great honor. The Li family was not well off and Li Jiugong made his living as a school teacher.

Cf. JWC 1:259–267, 2:227–230; Répertoire, p. 288 (Liu Yunde).
Source: Albert Chan, SJ, Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 28-30.

JapSin I, 34.b
Wenxing cuichao 文行粹抄.
Compiled by Li Jiugong 李九功.
Five juan in five volumes. Chinese bamboo paper. The book is in fairly good condition.

On the cover of volume three there is a Latin inscription in Chinese ink: “Extracta ex libris & historiis auctore Li Kieu cum de Fokien eiusdem patriae cum Ye Colao (葉閣老 Ye Xianggao 葉向高, 1559–1627).”
This is a duplicate of Jap-Sin I, 34.a, except that the title page, all the prefaces and the first folio of the table of contents are missing. The general remarks come after the table of contents.
Source: Albert Chan, SJ, Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, p. 30.
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Wushi yanyu 五十言餘. [Jap-Sin I, 74. BAV R.G.Oriente, III, 218.1]
AuthorAleni, Giulio 艾儒略, 1582-1649
PlaceTaibei Shi 臺北市
PublisherTaiwan xuesheng shuju 臺灣學生書局
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (Text in Collection), Digital Book (PDF)
Series
ShelfHallway Cases, Digital Archives
Call NumberBX880.T562 1972 v.1
Descriptionv.1, p. 363-410 ; 21 cm.
NoteIn: Tianzhujiao dongchuan wenxian sanbian 天主教東傳文獻三編, v. 1.
Added ed: Digital edition local access [Aleni-WushiYanyu.pdf]
Also appears in: In: Ai Rulüe Hanwen zhushu quanji 艾儒略漢文著述全集 = Collection of Jules Aleni's Chinese works.
Full citation see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database)

“….In imitation …. Aleni modeled his Wushi yanyu 五十言餘 (1645) on Ershiwu yan to which it purports to be a supplement. 12 Unlike Ricci’s work, however, Aleni’s is based upon classical European sources as well as Christian spiritual and ethical writings.” –Cf. Standaert, Handbook of Christianity in China, v.1, p. 605.

JapSin I, 74
Wushi yanyu 五十言餘.
By Ai Rulüe 艾儒略 (Giulio Aleni, 1582–1649).
One juan. Chinese bamboo paper in one volume. Published in 1645 (yiyou, 乙酉) by the Catholic Church in Fuzhou (Fujian).

The cover bears the title in Chinese with a Latin inscription: “50 sententiae morales a p. Julio Aleni.”
In the center of the title page there is the title in large Chinese characters. On the right the author’s name is given and on the left that of the publisher: 勑建閩中天主堂刻 (Printed by the Fuzhou Catholic Church, built by imperial order). The verso of this folio bears the author’s name and the names of the censors: Yang Manuo 陽瑪諾 (Manuel Dias Jr.), Fu Fanji 傅汎際 (Francisco Furtado) and Fei Qigui 費奇規 (Gaspar Ferreira). Permission for publication was granted by Fu Fanji (Francisco Furtado), then Vice-Provincial.
There is a preface by Zhang Geng 張賡 (one folio). The main text consists of twenty-two folios. Each half folio has nine columns with nineteen characters in each column. The upper middle of each folio bears the title with the number of the folio below.
Sommervogel (vol. I, col. 159, no. 25) says that this book contains “une moitié par le P. Aleni, l’autre par le P. Mathieu Ricci.” Fang Hao points out that this statement is made also by Cordier in his writing and that it is mistaken (JWC 1:197). It is likely that Sommervogel derived his mistake from Cordier. Zhang Geng in his preface to Aleni’s book says that Ricci had written the Ershiwu yan (Twenty-five Sayings, cf. Jap-Sin I, 53) and Aleni had doubled this to fifty sayings. This statement, perhaps, had caused the confusion.

Cf. Pfister, p. 134 and p. 18*; Hsü 1949, p. 30; Courant 3406.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 126-127.

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Xiushen xixue 修身西學. [脩身西學. BnF Chinois 3396-3397]
AuthorVagnone, Alfonso 高一志, 1566-1640
PlaceTaibei Shi 臺北市
PublisherTaipei Ricci Institute 利氏學社
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition初版
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (Text in Collection), Digital Book (PDF)
Series
ShelfHallway Cases, Digital Archives
Call NumberBX1665.A24 B526 2009 v.1
Descriptionpp. 1-240 ; 21 cm.
NoteXiushen xixue 修身西學. [脩身西學. BnF Chinois 3396-3397] / [Alfonso Vagnone].
Source uses variant 脩.
In vol. 1 of: Faguo guojia tushuguan Ming-Qing Tianzhujiao wenxian 法國國家圖書館明清天主教文獻. Chinese Christian texts from the National Library of France. Textes chrétiens chinois de la Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Full bibliographic citation see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database)

Online at Gallica.
Local access dig.pdf. [Vagnone-XiushenXixue.pdf (searchable one-volume); Vagnone-XiushenXixue1&2.pdf]

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ISBN9789572984833
LCCN2010402034
Xiushen Xixue jinzhu 修身西學今注. [De recta sui ipsius institutione juxta doctrinam Europaeorum. Chinese]
AuthorVagnone, Alfonso 高一志, 1566-1640Meynard, Thierry 梅謙立Tan Jie 譚傑 [谭杰]Tian Shufeng 田書峰
PlaceBeijing 北京
PublisherShangwu yinshuguan 商務印書館
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition第1版
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook
SeriesMing-Qing Xixue-Dongjian zhushiben congshu 明清西學東漸註釋本叢書
ShelfSeminar Room 102-103
Call NumberBX1665.A2 V3127 2019
Description6, 328 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.
Note

Xiushen Xixue jinzhu 修身西學今注  [De recta sui ipsius institutione juxta doctrinam Europaeorum] / ǂc (Yi) Gao Yizhi zhu (意) 高一志著; (Fa) Mei Qianli, Tan Jie, Tian Shufeng bian. (法) 梅謙立, 譚傑, 田書峰編註.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 306-316) and index.

1637-1638年, 義大利耶穌會士高一志(Alfonso Vagnone)與數位中國士人在山西綛州(今新綛縣)合作著譯'修身西學', 完整呈現了亞里斯多德主義經院倫理學 的概念與理論系統, 代表了亞里斯多德倫理學在中國的首次系統譯介, 早於晚清西方倫理學的東漸二百餘年.本書由兩部分構成.在第一部分的六 篇研究論文中, 三位學者主要考察'修身西學'的作者於成書過程, 其與兩個拉丁文底本之間的關聯, 以及由其構成的亞里斯多德倫理學在中國的最早傳播. 第二部分透過校註的形式, 全面細緻地展現'修身西學'的核心概念與論述的西方思想來源, 並比較其與中國倫理思想之間的異同之處.

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ISBN9787100175357 ; 7100175356
LCCN2023498148
Xiushen xixue 修身西學. [脩身西學. Jap-Sin I, 63]
AuthorVagnone, Alfonso 高一志, 1566-1640
PlaceJiangzhou 絳州
PublisherJingjiaotang 景教堂
CollectionARSI
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (stitch-bound 線裝本)
Series
ShelfARSI
Call NumberNOT HELD. DESCRIPTION ONLY
Description10 juan.
NoteFor reference. See BnF edition.

JapSin I, 63
Xiushen xixue 修身西學.
By Gao Yizhi 高一志 (Alfonso Vagnone).
Ten juan. Chinese bamboo paper in three volumes. Printed at the Catholic church (Jingjiaotang 景教堂) of Jiangzhou 絳州 (Shanxi). No date of publication.

The cover bears the title in Chinese.
The title page bears the title in four large characters together with the name of the author and the place of publication. The verso of this folio gives the names of the censors: Long Huamin 龍華民 (Niccolò Longobardo), Fei Lede 費樂德 (Rui de Figueiredo) and Jin Mige 金彌各 (Michel Trigault); the permission for publication was given by Fu Fanji 傅汎濟 (Francisco Furtado), then Vice-Provincial.
The table of contents (four and one-half folios) is followed by an introduction (one folio), Yili xixue dazhi 義禮西學大旨 (the leading thought of the European [teaching on] morality). There are nine columns on each half folio, with twenty characters in each column. The title of the book and the number of the juan and of the folio are given in the middle of the folio. The first folio of each juan bears the names of the author and of those who had proofread the text and helped to polish its style. Presumably they were Chinese Christian scholars; the principal helpers were: Wei Doushu 衛斗樞 of Hedong (Shanxi), Duan Gun 段袞 and Han Lin 韓霖, who helped throughout all the text, while the others assisted only in one of the juan. The names of these others are: Lu Huiyin 盧恢胤 of Guangping 廣平 (Northern Zhili), Dang Chong 黨珫 of Hanzhong 漢中 (Shaanxi), Geng Zhangguang 耿章光 of Guantao 館陶 (Shandong), Li Guangjian 李光薦 of Jinmen 津門 (N. Zhili), Wang Zheng 王徵 of Guanzhong 關中 (Shaanxi), Han Ding 韓[Ding/Ting 火定] of Hezhong 河中, Han Yun 韓雲 of Hedong 河東, Han Kui 韓奎, Han Ji 韓垍, and Han Zhi 韓埴, all of Hezhong.
This is a book on ethics. It discusses human acts, the intention, motivation, the four cardinal virtues, etc. The teaching is solid and convincing. It covers in essence the teaching of contemporary European moralists. According to Pfister the book was published after 1630, when Vagnone was a missioner in Jiangzhou.

Cf. Courant 3396–3397; Pfister, p. 92; Hsü 1949, p. 218.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 117-118.

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Zesheng shipian 則聖十篇. [Jap-Sin I, 62. BnF Chinois, 7191]
AuthorVagnone, Alfonso 高一志, 1566-1640Sun Yuanhua 孫元化, 1581-1632
PlaceFujian 福建
PublisherJingjiaotang 景教堂
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (Text in Collection), Digital Book (PDF)
Series
ShelfHallway Cases, Digital Archives
Call NumberBX1665.A24 B526 2009 v.4
Descriptionvol. 4, pp. 181-304 [1 juan]. + dig.pdf
NoteSee vol. 4, 18. Zesheng shipian 則聖十篇 [7191] in Faguo guojia tushuguan Ming-Qing Tianzhujiao wenxian 法國國家圖書館明清天主教文獻 = Chinese Christian texts from the National Library of France = Textes chrétiens chinois de la Bibliothèque nationale de France / edited by Nicolas Standaert 鐘鳴旦, Ad Dudink 杜鼎克, Nathalie Monnet 蒙曦.

N.B. Sun Yuanhua 孫元化, 1581-1632, juren 1612. LC authority record states “d. Chongzhen 6 nian [i.e. 1633]” but Chan, Standaert, & Dudink use 1632. Zesheng 則聖 is the zi of Vagnone. Text is a continuation of Ricci’s Jiren shipian 畸人十篇.

JapSin I, 62
Zesheng shipian 則聖十篇.
By Gao Yizhi 高一志 (Alfonso Vagnone).
One juan (incomplete). Chinese bamboo paper. Printed by the Jingjiaotang 景教堂, the Catholic Church of Fujian. No date of publication.

The cover bears the title in Chinese with the romanization Çe xim xe pien. The Latin inscription reads: “decem Christianae veritates a p. Alph. Vagnoni, S.J.”
Only the beginning of the text has been preserved: the preface (three and one-half folios), the table of contents (one folio) and the first chapter (pian 篇; five folios).
The preface was written by Sun Yuanhua 孫元化 of Wusong 吳淞 (Shanghai). The author’s name is given after the table of contents together with the names of the censors: Li Ningshi 黎寧石 (Pedro Ribeiro), Yang Manuo 陽瑪諾 (Manuel Dias Jr.) and Ai Rulüe 艾儒略 (Giulio Aleni). The permission for publication was given by Manuel Dias Jr., then Vice-Provincial.
There are nine columns in each half folio and nineteen characters in each column. In the middle of each folio the title is given together with the number of the folio. Both the title of the book and the name of the author are given on the first folio.
Zesheng was the zi of Vagnone and he used it as in the title of his book. The style of this book reminds one of the Jiren shipian of Ricci (cf. Jap-Sin I, 52); it is a book of counsel on morality. The book is written in fluent Chinese, probably polished by some scholar friends. The copy now kept in the Roman Jesuit Archives has only one volume and this consists of only one chapter, namely ziyan youyi 訾言有益 (that unfavourable criticisms are good [for one’s own spiritual progress]). Courant (7191) indicates that the Zesheng shipian contains 54 folios. According to Pfister this book was first published in 1626 (Tianqi 6) and later printed in Fuzhou (Fujian). It is a Ming edition, cf. Pfister, p. 92.

Cf. Hsü 1949, p. 99–100; BR, p. XXXII, Couplet, p. 11; JWC 1:154.

Sun Yuanhua (zi 初陽, hao 火東, 1581–1632), official and mathematician, known among the missioners as Dr. Ignatius Sun (or Song), was a native of Jiating, in Nan-Zhili (now Jiangsu province). He studied mathematics and firearms under Xu Guangqi. During the Nanjing persecution in 1616, still a non Christian, he was the protector of Sambiasi whom he kept in his home in Jiating. He was received into the Church in Beijing (1621) and took the name Ignatius. Later he invited the Jesuits to Jiating, where he built a church and residence for them. When Dengzhou fell to the rebels, he being governor of this place was held responsible. He was arrested, court marshalled and executed. Shortly before his death he was assisted by Adam Schall and died as a good Christian.

Cf. JWC 1:234–239; ECCP 2:686.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 116-117.

Full bibliographic citation see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database)
BnF edition online at Gallica.
Dig.pdf. local access [Vagnone-Zesheng shipian.pdf]

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