Transforming the East

Sapienta Sinica

Item

Title of translation

Sapienta Sinica

Year

1662

Translator(s)/Commentators(s)

Intorcetta, Prospero

da Costa, Inacio

Couplet, Philippe

Herdtricht, Christian Wolfgang

de Rougemont, François

Canevari, Pietro

de Gouvea, António

Brancati, Francesco

Contributors

Brancati, Francesco

Canevari, Pietro

de Gouvea, António

de Rougemont, François

Herdtricht, Christian Wolfgang

Couplet, Philippe

da Costa, Inacio

Book Type

Woodblock print

Language(s)

Latin

Chinese text

Characters and transliteration

Place of translation

Jianchang

Classical Source(s)

Great Learning (大学)

Analects (论语)

Sections

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 1)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 2)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 3)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 4)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 5)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 6)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 7)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 8)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 9)

1662 Translation of Analects (论语) (Chapter 10)

1662 Translation of Great Learning (大学) (Chapter)

Summary

Sapientia Sinica, including the two-page biography of Confucius, the 14-page translation of the Great Learning and of the first five parts of the Analects, translated by da Costa, and edited by Intorcetta.
It includes a biography of Confucius: “Ad Lectorem, includes Vita Confucj Principis Sapientiae Sinica” [un-numbered folios];

Revised by Pietro Canevari, Antonio de Gouvea, Francesco Brancati, imprimatur by Jaques Le Faure (vice-principal). It includes a biography of Confucius, a complete translation of the Great Learning and a translation of the first part of the Analects [10 chapters]. According to Chan “In folio 2r of Chung-yung (Jap-Sin I, 10)[四书集注, possibly owned by Brancati] there was an envelope which was addressed to Intorcetta: “Ao Pe Prospero [I]ntorxeta da Com. de Jesu” It is very likely that da Costa and Intorcetta made their translation from this edition of the Ssu-shu chi-chu, which according to the “Ad lectorem” in Jap-Sin III, 3a [郭纳 爵(da Costa), 文四书直解，卷之一，大学(Cf. JS III, 3.2- 3).] was published in Nanking”.

Location(s) of copies (MS)

located @ Biblioteca Centrale della Regione siciliana

located @ Biblioteca Trivulziana

located @ Biblioteca Comunale di Palermo

located @ Biblioteèque Nationale de France

located @ New York Public Library

located @ British Library

located @ Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei (Shanghai Library)

located @ Archivum Romanun Societatis Iesu (ARSI)

located @ Archivum Romanun Societatis Iesu (ARSI)

located @ Biblioteèque Nationale de France

located @ Biblioteca Universitaria di Genova

Later Editions

<p>Paolo Boeonio-Brocchieri, “Sapientia Sinica”, in <em>Confucio e il Cristianesimo</em>, 2 vols (Turin: Tipografia Vincenzo Bona, 1972–1973), 1:1–49.</p>

Digitisations

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URLs

http://docbcrs.bibliotecaregionalepalermo.it/rari_1007.pdf

Bibliography

Benedetti, Stefano, “Sapientia sinica (1662): sulla prima traduzione a stampa dei Dialoghi confuciani ad opera di Prospero Intorcetta", in Atti e memorie dell'Arcadia, 3, pp. 167-208, 2014.

Catalogues

In Chan, Albert (2002). Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome: A Descriptive Catalogue: Japonica-Sinica I-IV, New York: M.E. Sharpe: ARSI Jap.Sin III, 3: p. 474; ARSI Jap.Sin III, 3a: p. 477.

In Cordier, Henri (1901). L'imprimerie sino-européenne en Chine. Bibliographie des ouvrages publiés en Chine par les Européens au XVIIe et au XVIII siècle. Paris, Imprimerie nationale, Ernest Leroux editeur: 85-5. 134-2

In Pfister, Louis (1932-1934). Notices biographiques et bibliographiques sur les Jésuites de l'ancienne Mission de Chine: 1552-1773, Imprimerie de la mission Catholique, Shanghai: 75. “Traduction latine du Ta-hio 大学. C'est, dit Remusat,
 le premier travail européen imprimerie sur les 4 livres classiques chinois: il l'a ètè en 1662 avec le texte chinois, a Kien-tch'ang fou 建昌府, au Kiang-si, par le P. Intorcetta. Ce livre est extremement rare" p. 220.

In Bernard, Henri (1945), "Les adaptations chinoises d'ouvrages Européens: Bibliographie chronologique depuis la venue des portugais à Canton jusqu'à la mission française de Pékin 1514-1688", in Monumenta Serica, 10:1-57 and 10:309-388: 397. 1662, Da Costa, “Ta hio 大学 avec traduction latine en caractères européens". Pr. Andre Ferran Foutcheou 25. X. 1660.

Media

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