The Cultural Accommodation and Linguistic Activities of the Jesuits in China in the 16th-18th Centuries

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3228973
AutoresFangfeng Dong (0009-0000-1427-7826, Central China Normal University), Yang (0000-0002-9787-5617), Yang Yang (0000-0002-3705-7612, Central China Normal University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2025
Volumen16
Número4
Páginas470
Fecha de publicación2025-04-07
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReligions (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
EditorialMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel16040470
OpenAlexW4409268005
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas16

From the 16th to the 18th century, Jesuit missionaries in China pioneered inter-cultural exchange by integrating cultural accommodation with groundbreaking linguistic research. By adopting Confucian scholarly practices and systematically studying the Chinese language, they developed innovative approaches to Chinese phonetics, grammar, lexicography, rhetoric, and teaching. Their linguistic achievements not only facilitated missionary work but also contributed to early modern sinology and cross-cultural communications. This paper examines the Jesuits' dual strategy of cultural accommodation and linguistic research, demonstrating how their deep engagement with Chinese intellectual traditions enabled them to study the Chinese language successfully, to communicate with local elites smoothly, and to disseminate Christianity effectively. Through the combination of local philological traditions with Western linguistic techniques, they introduced new perspectives on the Chinese language, influencing both Western sinology and China's linguistic development. Their translations of religious, scientific, and philosophical texts also played a key role in shaping Sino-Western intellectual exchanges. By analyzing the Jesuits' linguistic activities and the strategies they employed in the process, this study highlights the Jesuits' impact on Chinese linguistic scholarship, the transmission of Christianity, and their role in cross-cultural communication. Their work also exemplifies how language, culture, and religion can effectively collaborate in cross-cultural encounters, shaping historical narratives and fostering dialogue between civilizations

Accommodation · Archaeology · China · Linguistics · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Historical Linguistics and Language Studies · History · Philosophy · Psychology · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity