Translating <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> into Chinese: Western Missionaries and the Enlightenment for Modern Chinese Mathematics During the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties
During the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, China underwent a period of broad-based economic and societal transformation. Among the cultural forces at play, the Christian culture has significantly impacted the trajectory of Chinese history. At the time, responding to a distinct socio-political en...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/7/921 |
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| author | Jiyun Huang Shangqing Hu Yafeng Li |
| author_facet | Jiyun Huang Shangqing Hu Yafeng Li |
| author_sort | Jiyun Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | During the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, China underwent a period of broad-based economic and societal transformation. Among the cultural forces at play, the Christian culture has significantly impacted the trajectory of Chinese history. At the time, responding to a distinct socio-political environment, Western missionaries employed a variety of religious methodologies to pursue the goal of proselytizing. As part of missionary efforts, they introduced Western scientific and cultural knowledge into China alongside Christian doctrines, coinciding with a period of political and cultural transformation and development in China. Accordingly, this influx of new ideas from the West had a far-reaching impact on Chinese society. This paper focuses on the Chinese translation of <i>Euclid’s Elements</i>, examining the intercultural dissemination of Western mathematical knowledge through missionary activities. Furthermore, the study also elucidates the positive impact of Western mathematics carried with religious efforts on the Chinese traditional mathematical system via presenting a comparison of paradigms in mathematics. Finally, this study argues that the translation practice by Christian emissaries from the West in the natural sciences during the Ming and Qing Dynasties engendered novel intellectual currents, thereby facilitating the development of a contemporary Chinese knowledge framework and a shift in religious research toward comprehensive perspectives. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-74cf3e45a59c441c9ecb466f5faaf26a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-74cf3e45a59c441c9ecb466f5faaf26a2025-08-20T02:47:05ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-07-0116792110.3390/rel16070921Translating <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> into Chinese: Western Missionaries and the Enlightenment for Modern Chinese Mathematics During the Late Ming and Early Qing DynastiesJiyun Huang0Shangqing Hu1Yafeng Li2Department of English Language and Literature, Busan University of Foreign Studies, Busan 46234, Republic of KoreaSchool of Foreign Languages, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, ChinaSchool of Foreign Languages, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, ChinaDuring the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, China underwent a period of broad-based economic and societal transformation. Among the cultural forces at play, the Christian culture has significantly impacted the trajectory of Chinese history. At the time, responding to a distinct socio-political environment, Western missionaries employed a variety of religious methodologies to pursue the goal of proselytizing. As part of missionary efforts, they introduced Western scientific and cultural knowledge into China alongside Christian doctrines, coinciding with a period of political and cultural transformation and development in China. Accordingly, this influx of new ideas from the West had a far-reaching impact on Chinese society. This paper focuses on the Chinese translation of <i>Euclid’s Elements</i>, examining the intercultural dissemination of Western mathematical knowledge through missionary activities. Furthermore, the study also elucidates the positive impact of Western mathematics carried with religious efforts on the Chinese traditional mathematical system via presenting a comparison of paradigms in mathematics. Finally, this study argues that the translation practice by Christian emissaries from the West in the natural sciences during the Ming and Qing Dynasties engendered novel intellectual currents, thereby facilitating the development of a contemporary Chinese knowledge framework and a shift in religious research toward comprehensive perspectives.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/7/921Christian culturemissionary translation<i>Euclid’s Elements</i>Chinese mathematicsthe late Ming and early Qing |
| spellingShingle | Jiyun Huang Shangqing Hu Yafeng Li Translating <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> into Chinese: Western Missionaries and the Enlightenment for Modern Chinese Mathematics During the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties Religions Christian culture missionary translation <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> Chinese mathematics the late Ming and early Qing |
| title | Translating <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> into Chinese: Western Missionaries and the Enlightenment for Modern Chinese Mathematics During the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties |
| title_full | Translating <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> into Chinese: Western Missionaries and the Enlightenment for Modern Chinese Mathematics During the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties |
| title_fullStr | Translating <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> into Chinese: Western Missionaries and the Enlightenment for Modern Chinese Mathematics During the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties |
| title_full_unstemmed | Translating <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> into Chinese: Western Missionaries and the Enlightenment for Modern Chinese Mathematics During the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties |
| title_short | Translating <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> into Chinese: Western Missionaries and the Enlightenment for Modern Chinese Mathematics During the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties |
| title_sort | translating i euclid s elements i into chinese western missionaries and the enlightenment for modern chinese mathematics during the late ming and early qing dynasties |
| topic | Christian culture missionary translation <i>Euclid’s Elements</i> Chinese mathematics the late Ming and early Qing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/7/921 |
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