{"id":61979,"date":"2023-12-31T17:03:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-31T22:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=61979"},"modified":"2025-09-02T11:33:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T16:33:56","slug":"the-miracle-of-western-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=61979","title":{"rendered":"The Miracle of Western Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following essay is from the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci's (1552-1610)\u00a0 X\u012b z\u00ec q\u00edj\u00ec\u00a0\u897f\u5b57\u5947\u8e5f\u00a0(The Miracle of Western Letters<\/i>) published in Beijing in 1605. This was the first book to use the Roman alphabet to write a Sinitic language. Twenty years later, another Jesuit in China, Nicolas Trigault (1577-1628), issued his X\u012b r\u00fa \u011brm\u00f9 z\u012b (Aid to the Eyes and Ears of Western Literati<\/i>)\u00a0\u897f\u5112\u8033\u76ee\u8cc7\u00a0at Hangzhou. Neither book had much immediate impact on the way in which Chinese thought about their writing system, and the romanizations they described were intended more for Westerners than for the Chinese, but their eventual impact on China was enormous, and it is still unfolding.<\/p>\r\n

[N.B.:\u00a0 The following transcriptions of the Chinese text are done into simplified characters, a well-nigh universal practice in the PRC.]<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

X\u00ecn \u00e9r b\u00f9 h\u01cei, y\u00ed \u00e9r j\u00ed ch\u00e9n
\u4fe1\u800c\u6b65\u6d77\uff0c\u7591\u800c\u5373\u6c89
Believe and walk on the sea, doubt and then sink.<\/p>\r\n

Ti\u0101n zh\u01d4 y\u01d0 ji\u00e0ng sh\u0113ng, tu\u014d r\u00e9n x\u00edng y\u01d0 x\u00edng ji\u00e0o y\u00fa sh\u00ec
\u5929\u4e3b\u5df2\u964d\u751f\uff0c\u6258\u4eba\u5f62\u4ee5\u884c\u6559\u4e8e\u4e16
The Heavenly Lord was already born and had taken on human form to teach in the world.<\/p>\r\n

Xi\u0101n hu\u00ec sh\u00ed'\u00e8r sheng t\u00fa, q\u00ed yu\u00e1n t\u00fa m\u00edng yu\u0113 b\u00f3 du\u014d lu\u00f2
\u5148\u8bf2\u5341\u4e8c\u5723\u5f92\uff0c\u5176\u5143\u5f92\u540d\u66f0\u4f2f\u591a\u843d\u3002
He first taught the twelve disciples, and his first disciple was called Peter.<\/p>\r\n

B\u00f3 du\u014d lu\u00f2 y\u012b r\u00ec z\u00e0i chu\u00e1n, hu\u01ceng h\u016b ji\u00e0n Ti\u0101n zh\u01d4 l\u00ec h\u01cei y\u00e1
\u4f2f\u591a\u843d\u4e00\u65e5\u5728\u8239\uff0c\u604d\u60da\u89c1\u5929\u4e3b\u7acb\u6d77\u6daf
One day, Peter was on a boat, when he indistinctly saw the Heavenly Lord standing on the seashore.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

z\u00e9 yu\u0113: \"T\u01ceng sh\u00ec Ti\u0101n zh\u01d4, sh\u01d0 w\u01d2 b\u00f9 h\u01cei b\u00f9 ch\u00e9n
\u5219\u66f0\uff1a\u201c<\/span>\u5018\u662f\u5929\u4e3b\uff0c\u4f7f\u6211\u6b65\u6d77\u4e0d\u6c89\u3002\u201d
<\/span>Thereupon he said: \u201cIf it is the Heavenly Lord, let me walk on the sea and not sink.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Ti\u0101n zh\u01d4 sh\u01d0 zh\u012b x\u00edng sh\u00ed w\u00e0ng m\u011bng f\u0113ng f\u0101 b\u014d l\u00e0ng, q\u00ed x\u012bn bi\u00e0n y\u00ed \u00e9r ji\u00e0n ch\u00e9n
\u5929\u4e3b\u4f7f\u4e4b\u3002\u884c\u65f6\u671b\u731b\u98ce\u53d1\u6ce2\u6d6a\uff0c\u5176\u5fc3\u4fbf\u7591\u800c\u6e10\u6c89\u3002
The Heavenly Lord allowed it. As Peter went, he saw that the fierce wind was raising waves; then his heart doubted, and he gradually sank.<\/p>\r\n

Ti\u0101n zh\u01d4 yu\u00e1n q\u00ed sh\u01d2u yu\u0113: \"Sh\u01ceo x\u00ecn zh\u011b h\u00e9 y\u01d0 y\u00ed h\u016b?
\u5929\u4e3b\u63f4\u5176\u624b\u66f0\uff1a\u201c<\/span>\u5c11\u4fe1\u8005\u4f55\u4ee5\u7591\u4e4e?
<\/span>The Heavenly Lord lent a helping hand: \u201cA person with little faith, why did you doubt?<\/p>\r\n

D\u01d4 x\u00ecn d\u00e0o zh\u012b r\u00e9n zh\u01d2ng ru\u00f2 shu\u01d0 r\u00fa ji\u0101n sh\u00ed
\u7b03\u4fe1\u9053\u4e4b\u4eba\u8e35\u5f31\u6c34\u5982\u575a\u77f3\uff0c
A person who firmly believes in the way treads on thin water as if on solid rock.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

q\u00ed f\u00f9 y\u00ed, shu\u01d0 f\u00f9 b\u011bn x\u00ecng y\u0101n
\u5176\u590d\u7591\uff0c\u6c34\u590d\u672c\u6027\u7109\u3002
Were he to doubt again, the water would resume its natural state.<\/p>\r\n

Y\u01d2ng j\u016bn z\u01d0 x\u00edng ti\u0101n m\u00ecng, hu\u01d2 m\u00f2 r\u00e1n, r\u00e8n m\u00f2 c\u00ec, shu\u01d0 m\u00f2 n\u00ec, f\u0113ng l\u00e0ng h\u00e9 j\u00f9 h\u016b!
\u52c7\u541b\u5b50\u884c\u5929\u547d\uff0c\u706b\u83ab\u71c3\uff0c\u5203\u83ab\u523a\uff0c\u6c34\u83ab\u6eba\uff0c\u98ce\u6d6a\u4f55\u60e7\u4e4e!
<\/span>For a brave gentleman who follows Heaven\u2019s order, fire cannot burn, blades cannot stab, water cannot drown. Why fear wind and waves!<\/p>\r\n

R\u00e1n yu\u00e1n t\u00fa y\u00ed y\u011b.
\u7136\u5143\u5f92\u7591\u4e5f\u3002
Thus, the first disciple doubted.<\/p>\r\n

Y\u01d0 w\u01d2 x\u00ecn y\u01d0, z\u00e9 y\u012b r\u00e9n sh\u00f9n zh\u012b y\u00ed, z\u00fa y\u01d0 j\u00ecng ji\u011b zh\u00e0o zh\u00f2ng zh\u012b h\u00f2u y\u00ed
\u4ee5\u6211\u4fe1\u77e3\uff0c\u5219\u4e00\u4eba\u77ac\u4e4b\u7591\uff0c\u8db3\u4ee5\u7adf\u89e3\u5146\u4f17\u4e4b\u540e\u7591\u3002
Considering my faith, then, one person's moment of doubt is enough to completely resolve the subsequent doubts of many.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Sh\u01d0 b\u01d0 w\u00fa y\u00ed, w\u01d2 x\u00ecn w\u00fa j\u00f9. G\u00f9 g\u01cen q\u00ed x\u00ecn y\u00ec g\u01cen q\u00ed y\u00ed y\u011b\u201d
\u4f7f\u5f7c\u65e0\u7591\uff0c\u6211\u4fe1\u65e0\u636e\u3002\u6545\u611f\u5176\u4fe1\u4ea6\u611f\u5176\u7591\u4e5f\u3002\u201d
<\/span>If I were to cause him to be without doubt, my faith would not have proof; therefore, I arouse his faith and also his doubt.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u014cu lu\u00f3 b\u0101 l\u00ec m\u01ce d\u00f2u zhu\u00e0n
\u6b27\u903b\u5df4\u5229\u739b\u7aa6\u64b0
Written by European Matteo Ricci<\/p>\r\n

For woodblock printing, the shapes of the letters are exceedingly graceful.\u00a0 They somehow seem to combine the flowing quality of cursive with the clarity of printing.\u00a0 It is a pleasure simply to behold the artistry of the writing.\u00a0 Reading the text affords additional satisfaction due to its simple and straightforward elegance of expression.<\/p>\r\n

Selected readings<\/b><\/p>\r\n