Matteo Ricci's Translation under Multiple Identities

Abstract

Matteo Ricci was one of the prominent missionaries who came to China during the late Ming Dynasty. His translation practices in China marked the beginning of equal cultural exchanges between China and the West, making his work highly valuable for research. This paper focuses on Ricci's translation practices, summarizing his content, strategies, and models to explore his translation behaviors at different stages of cultural exchange and their impact on Sino-Western cultural interaction. The study reveals that as a disseminator of science and technology, Ricci innovated the local knowledge structure and thinking through his translations. As a builder of cross-cultural trust, he facilitated equal cultural exchanges between China and the West through his translations. As a mediator of religious differences between China and the West, he bridged cultural conflicts and promoted the integration of diverse cultures through his translations. Studying Ricci's translation practices not only provides insights into the history of equal cultural exchanges between China and the West but also offers practical implications for promoting cultural exchange today through translation.

Keywords

• Matteo Ricci
• Missionary Translation
• the Spread of Western Learning to the East

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