Transwriting in Aleni’s Xingxue cushu: communicating the philosophy of human nature between the West and late Ming China

ABSTRACT

Giulio Aleni’s Xingxue cushu 性學觕述 (A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 1623–1646) was a product of an ambitious project by the Jesuits in China to introduce Aristotle's natural philosophy to Chinese literati. The book, originally from the Cursus Conimbricensis (1592-1606), shows a good example of the interactions between transmitter and receptor in the encounter of Western culture with Chinese culture. This paper explores Aleni's linguistic strategy for placing Western concepts of human nature in dialogue with traditional Chinese thought. It argues that the work's favourable reception among Chinese scholars was due to Aleni's use of translation principles that anticipate transwriting. Namely, instead of direct translation Aleni adapted the text for his Chinese readers by rewriting partly, adding his own responses, borrowing Chinese classical terms and creatively interpreting these terms, quoting many Chinese classical allusions, and employing Chinesestyle arguments. These linguistic tools Aleni used facilitate the reader's understanding and acceptance of the Western philosophy of human nature. His linguistic success on communication between the two thoughts on human nature helps us redefine the concept of transwriting and find an in-between space for a rational philosophic and religious dialogue between China and the West.

KEYWORDS:

• Xingxue cushu
• transwriting
• human nature
• late Ming

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend my warm gratitude to Daniel Canaris for reading an earlier version of this essay and giving lots of helpful advice. I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for detailed and helpful feedback. All opinions and any errors are, of course, mine.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Qi (氣) literally means air, but it is also an ontological term referring to what forms all things.

2 Aleni, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature (Xingxue cushu 性學觕述), 97.

3 Hu, Xinglidaquan 性理大全 (juan 卷 29), 649. The Chinese source text puts “天之生物,有血氣知覺者,人獸是也,有無血氣知覺但有生氣者,草木是也”.

4 Aleni, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature (Xingxue cushu 性學觕述), 97–9.

5 According to Meynard and Pan’s investigation, it influenced some later scholars in medicine, such as Wang Honghan 王宏翰 (1648–1700), Depei 德沛 (Aisin-Gioro, 1688–1752), and Wang Qingren 王清任 (1768­?). See Meynard and Pan, Introduction of A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 52–5.

6 The term appears in only one English paper. See Jacobs and Perrin, “Transwriting the News.

7 Huang, Bianyi lilun 變異理論 (Variational Translation Theory). Its English version was published as Variational Translation Theory in 2020.

8 Huang and Zhang, Variational Translation Theory, 9.

9 Ibid., 131.

10 See Li, Yishu: mingmo yeshuhui fanyi wenxuelun 譯述：明末耶穌會翻譯文學論

(Transwriting: Translated Literature and Late-Ming Jesuits).

11 See Zhang, “Yixie zhongde duansheli: yi hanyiyin weili” 譯寫中的斷舍離：以漢譯英為例 (Less Is More: What Should Be Abandoned In Transwriting, Illustrated by Examples of C-E Translation); He, Yixie ronghe, zhuzhuanjiazhang—hanyiyin linie yu shijian xinjian 譯寫融合，助撰佳章——漢譯英理念與實踐新講 (New Concepts of Chinese-English Translating).

12 Lefevere, Translation, Rewriting, and the Manipulation of Literary Fame, preface, vii.

13 Huang and Zhang, Variational Translation Theory, 24.

14 Among those most influential writers, see Pan Fengjian 潘鳳娟, XilaiKongzi airulue:gengxingbianhua de zongjiao huiyu 西來孔子艾儒略——更新變化的宗教會遇 (Western scholar Aleni: religious encounter under changing); Shen Qingsong 沈清松, Cong Li Madou dao Haidege 從利瑪竇到海德格 (From Ricci to Heidegger); Meynard and Pan, Introduction of Xingxue cushu, A brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature; Lin Yuehui 林月惠, “Linhun yu linxing: airulue Xingxuechushu yu songming lixue de xiangyu” 靈魂與靈性：艾儒略《性學觕述》與宋明理學的相遇 (“Anima and Spiritual Nature: The Encounter Between Giulio Aleni's A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature and Neo-Confucianism”), 57–71.

15 It is indicated in an Aleni’s work, saying “Ricci sent a letter back to Rome which proposed to recruit some talents to translate western learning since his single effort could hardly introduce such profound and resourceful western learning to Chinese” (利子以道之廣傳，及朝家重典，未可一人獨任，因寄書本國，招一二同志，多攜西書同譯). Aleni, Daxi Xitai Li xiansheng xingji 大西西泰利先生行蹟 (Biography of Matteo Ricci, 1630). See Zhou Yan 周岩, Mingmouqichu tianzhujiaoshi wenxian xingbian（book I）明末天主教史文獻新編 (上冊), 371.

16 Aleni, Xingxue cushu. See Huang and Wang , Mingqing zhiji xixue wenben vol. 1 明清之際西學文本 (Texts of Western learning in Ming and Qing), 240. 願將以前諸論與同志繙以華言. 試假十數年之功，當可次第譯出.

17 Lefevere, Translation, Rewriting, and the Manipulation of Literary Fame, preface, vii.

18 Ruggieri, The True Record of the Lord of Heaven (Tianzhu shilu 天主實錄, 1584), 127.

19 Ricci, The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven (revised edition by Thierry Meynard), 153.

20 Ibid.,153–4.

21 Ricci, Limadou shuxiji 利瑪竇書信集 (Collections of Matteo Ricci’ letters), 339.

22 He was indeed attacked by some anti-Christian Confucians, see Xu Changzhi 徐昌治. Poxieji 破邪集(Collection against heretic).

23 Ricci, The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven (revised edition by Thierry Meynard), 49. 物雖本有知覺,然無靈性,其或能行靈者之事,必有靈者為引動之.

24 Meynard and Pan, “Introduction of Xingxue cushu” (A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature), 53.

25 Lin, “Anima and Spiritual Nature: The Encounter Between Giulio Aleni's A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature and Neo-Confucianism”, 62.

26 Meynard, “Aristotelian Works in Seventeenth-Century China”, 78.

27 See the comment in appendix of Huanyouquan 寰有詮, Huang Xingtao 黃興濤 and Wang Guorong 王國榮, Mingqing zhiji xixue wenben vol. 3明清之際西學文本 (Texts of Western learning in Ming and Qing), 1393–4.

28 Huang “Yalishiduode linhunlun de hanyi: ziranzhexue yihuo xingershangxue—jiyu Lingyanlishao he Xingxue cushu de chubu bijiao yanjiu” 亞里士多德靈魂論的漢譯: 自然哲學抑或形而上學？ ―基於《靈言蠡勺》和《性學觕述》的初步比較研究 (The Chinese treatises of Aristotle’s On the Soul in late Ming China: Natural philosophy or metaphysics? A basic comparative study of Lingyan lishao and Xingxue cushu). See Zongjiao yu lishi 宗教與歷史 (Religion and history), 228.

29 See Meynard and Pan’s Tables 3–5 in the appendix of A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 371–2.

30 Commentarii Collegii Conimbricensis Societatis Iesv, in Tres Libros De anima (hereafter De anima), Aristotelis Stagiritate, 1598. contents page.

31 Ibid., 13.

32 In tres libros De anima, 13. It is followed by the argument that the soul would be also mutable to change, better or worse, which is absurd to an enteral spiritual being, but Aleni did not translate it.

33 Aleni, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 115.

34 Meynard and Pan, “Introduction of Xingxue cushu”, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 27.

35 Aleni, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 253.

36 Zhu, Sishu zhangju jizhu 四書章句集注 (Commentary of Four Great Books). See Zhu Xi, Zhu Jie Ren, Yan Zuozhi, Liu Yongxian, Zhuziquanshu VI朱子全書 (A Complete Work of Zhu Xi), 255. “蓋人之於禽獸，同生而異類。”. Based on the context in the book, it actually means that human beings are identical to beasts as a life entity, but differ from them by having moral consciousness.

37 Aleni, Xingxue cushu. See Huang Xingtao 黃興濤 and Wang Guorong 王國榮, Mingqing zhiji xixue wenben vol. 1 明清之際西學文本, 253.

38 Meynard and Pan, “Introduction of Xingxue cushu”, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 53.

39 Aleni, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 109.

40 Hu, Xingli daquan 性理大全, juan 29, 634. 天所賦為命，物所受為性

41 Ibid., 637. 生之理為性，性則純是善底 … 性是實理，仁義禮智皆具

42 Ibid., 643. 人之於性，猶器之受光於日

43 See Shangshu-Taishishang《尚書·泰誓上》：“惟人萬物之靈。魄便是精之靈，魂便是氣之靈” (Only Human being is gifted with ling of all things. Po is ling of vitality; Hun is ling of qi.)

44 Meynard and Pan, “Introduction of Xingxue cushu”, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 16.

45 Aleni, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 95.

46 Ibid., 111.

47 Ibid., 112.

48 Ibid., 129.

49 Meynard and Pan, “note 10 of juan 2 of Xingxue cushu”, Aleni, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 128.

50 Aleni, A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 139.

51 Ibid., 87.

52 Ibid., 223.

53 Ibid., 175.

54 Longobardo, A Brief Response on Controversies over Shangdi, Tianshen, and Linghun.

55 Huang and Zhang, Variational Translation Theory, 131.

56 Ibid.,132.

57 Pan, Xilai Kongzi Ai Rulüe:gengxin bianhua de zongjiao huiyu 西來孔子艾儒略——更新變化的宗教會遇 (Western scholar Aleni: religious encounter under changing), 168–9.

Additional information

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Hailin Zhu

Hailin Zhu is Professor at Guangdong Medical University, China.