Matteo Ricci

See also: Ricci

Matteo Ricci (Macerata 1552 - Beijing 1610), known in Chinese under the name of 利馬竇/利马窦 Lì Mǎdòu (sometimes 利氏/利氏/Lìshì), is a priest and missionary Jesuit Italy N having inspired the realization of the Dictionnaire of sinogrammes the Grand Ricci (compound of the Dictionnaire Ricci of Chinese natures and a dictionary of lemmas).

It is ordered beginner Jesuit at Rome in 1578 then priest with Cochin (in India) in 1580.

It enters to China in 1583 and settles with Zhaoqing close to Canton and manages to be put in contact with mandarins thanks to its great knowledge in Mathématiques and Astronomie. There remain eighteen years in the south of China near Macao and learn how to read and write the Chinese. In 1601 it is made invite to the imperial court of Beijing, as an ambassador of the Portuguese near the emperor Wanli, carrying a virginal, a Mappemonde and two Horloge S with ringing. The music was undoubtedly for him a means of transmitting the Catholic religion: he sang edifying airs, often on texts translated into Chinese. He even published in Beijing in 1608 a collection of eight airs with accompaniment (Xiqin qu Yi " Airs for zither européenne") who was an incredible success: the republications followed one another until XIXe, the music seems lost about it, the Chinese words were preserved.

First Christian missionary to come into so close contact with the emperor since the nestoriens, it manages to found the Chinese Church (in 1605 it builds the " Nantang" the church of the south, current seat of évéché of Beijing), but its efforts are partially ruined, later, at the time of the Querelle of the Rites Chinese. It is buried near the prohibited Cité.

The Large Ricci , is, so far, the largest dictionary of Chinese towards a Western language, it is developed by the Instituts Ricci.

Random links:

Matteo Ricci

Related articles