Introduction

The introduction first presents an overview of the scholarly activities of Jesuit missionaries at the end of the Míng dynasty. Then it briefly introduces Matteo Ricci’s Chinese works and Chinese language ability. It further puts forward the hypothesis that the effective spread of Catholicism and cultural exchanges in China at the end of the Míng dynasty played an important role in the formation of the modern Chinese lexicon. Thus, this monograph may be pivotal to future understanding of the figure of Matteo Ricci and his legacy.