Paternico_Luisa_M._2011_Martino_Martini

BIBLlD 0254-4466(2011)29:3 pp. 229-266
泌 叩 研 究 第 29 卷 第 別 的 ( 民 | 到 100 年 9 )-] )
Martino Martini and the First Grammar of
Mandarin Chinese Ever Written and Published 抖
Luisa M. Patemic 伊
Abstract
Martino Martini (1614-166 1) was a main contributor to historical and
geographical knowledge about China in seventeenth century Europe. His works
strongly influenced the intellectuals of hi s time. He was also author of a less
popular, though no less importa 肘 , work: a grammar of the Chinese language
According to Giu liano Bertuccioli, Martini attended to the compilation of
a Grammatica Sinica, in 1652, whi le he was detained by the Dutch in Batavia
for eight months. He left a copy of it to Andreas Cleyer (1634-1 697/98). The
manuscript was sent to Europe in 1698 and preserved in Berlin. In 1716, T. S
Bayer (1694- 1738) made a copy of it, but the original has not been found
Once in Europe, Martini left another copy of the grammar to Jacob Gohl
(1596-1667), a Dutch orientalist. From this original manuscript other copies were
most likely made, and this could explain the presence of grammars very similar
to that of Martini 's in the libraries of Glasgow, Berlin, and Krakow. These copies
Manu script rcccivcd: Scptcmbcr 17, 2010; re 叫 s ion compl 刮 目 1 : May 17, 2011 ; manuscript
approvcd: July 28, 20 11
... Thc 3uthor is a post-docloral researcher in thc Italian Institutc of Oricl1tal Studies at Sapienza
Uni versity of Romc
** This papcr was aw 山 dcd thc EACS (Europcan Association of Chinese Stlldies) YOllng Scholar
Award. d urin 且 t h c 18“ biannual confercnce of the AssocÎation hcld al the University of Lat v i 札
Riga, JlIly 2010
229

230 1 美 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
have at different times been modified and extended by Philippe Couplet aod
Christian Mentzel
After a detailed analysis of Martini 's correspondence and a long search for
reference in rare books catalogues and manuals for bibliophiles, J succeeded in
finding two copies with an identical structure but entitled Grammatica Linguae
Sinensis in Cambrai and in Vigevano. The latter was Martini's gift to Juan
Caramuel (1606-1682), a Spanish polymath who had studied Chinese with him
Further researches have led me to the discovery of a printed version of
Martioi ' s Grammatica Linguae Sinensis attached to the 1696 edition of M.
Thévenot's Relations des divers voyages curieux. Thus, Martini's grammar
has been proved to be the first grammar of Mandarin Chinese ever written and
published. Through a comparative analysis ofthe extant copies in both manuscript
and printed forrn, and at the same time trying to separate the contributions to the
original work given by other scholars who possessed it, the present study aims
at reconstructing the evolutionary course of Martini's grammar fTom the older
Grammatica Sinica to the refined and annotated copy of the Grammatica Linguae
Sinensis
Keywords: Mandarin Chinese, gramrnar, Jesuit, Martino Martini, manuscript
1. Foreword
The Catholic missionaries in China during the 16

LlIisa M. Paternicò / Marti no Martini and the First Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 231
“ Mandarin," the language used by the leamed c\ass who held the reins ofpower. 2 Of
the grammars they wro 峙 , many have apparently been lost and are known 10 us only
through references found in other works; this is because most of them circulated in
manuscript form and were never printed. Thus, so far, the Dominican friar Francisco
Varo (1627-1687) has been credited to be the first to have his grammar, Arte 泌
的 lengua
Canton in 1703. 3
l11andarina [Grammar ofthe Mandarin language] (1682), published in
The grammar of th 巴 Chinese language written by Martino Martini (1614-1661)
was thought to have encountered a similar, unlucky fate . This work was probably
written some time between 1651 and 1653, during two long stops in the Philippines
and Batav ia (now J aka r 泊 , Indonesia) which Martini was forced to make while
trave ling back to Rome as Procurator ofthe China mission. The grammar circulated
widely in manuscript form in Europe, becoming a useful tool for intellectuals and
future missionaries for leaming Chinese, presumably without ever being printed.'
At the present state of research, Martini 's grammar can certainly be considered
the first descriptive grammar of Mandarin Chinese, since it is preceded on ly by
grammars ofthe Minn a nhu a 閩 南 話 dial ec t compiled by Spanish missionaries in the
Philippines. o
Martini 's original manuscript has yet to be tracked down. However, fortunately
a fair number of copies have been found in different European cities and thi s
enables us today to retrace the steps and development stages Martini's grammar
Junc 2011, pp. 20-27
2 We ldon South Coblin and Joscph A. Lcvi, cd s 司 Fran CÎsι o Varu's Grammω (?f the !vfa ndarin
Langllage (1 703): An English 7Ì

232 1 美 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
underwent in the tangled series of changes in its ownership.6 As a matter of fact, the
manuscripts that have been discovered, even though very simi lar in their general
organization, show substantial differences and in some cases, the intervention of
other authors
My recent investigations have also been able to prove that Martini 's grammar
of the Chinese Language was actually printed and attached to a few copies of the
1696 edition of Mélchisedec Thévénot's Relations des di ν ers νoyages c urte ux
[Reports of various curious travels], thus proving it to be the first grammar of
Mandarin Chinese ever written and printed
Through a comparative analysis of the copies which have been tracked down,
in both manuscript and printed form, and at the same time trying to separate the
contributions to the original work made by other scholars who possessed it, the
present study aims at reconstructing the evolutionary course of Martini's grammar
of the Chinese language from the original Grammatica Sinica [Chinese Grammar]
to the refìned and annotated version, the 晦 e
t 伽 h 加 eC 叫 hi 吋 n 附 巴 s 侃 e
Language]
Grammatica Li 川 ng♂u 叩 , 叫 ae Si 間 n 甜 e 仰 n. 仿 s 叫 E
2. Martino Martini, a Jesuit Missionary to China
Bom in Trento, Italy, in 1614,7 Martino Martini joined the Society of Jesus in
6 Bertuccioli cxpresscd lhis wish in M,αrli l1 0 Marlil1i 5./.. Op 臼 α Om l1 io , vol. 2, p. 354
7 For Martini's biography see: Giuliano BCrlucc ioli, cd., Mω 1;11 0 MartinÎ s.J.. Opera Om 川 吭
vol. 1, Lellere e docl/mel1li (Trcnlo: Uni vcrsilà deg li Sludi di Trcnlo, 1998), pp. 511-533;
Louis Pfisler, NOlices biographiql/es el bibliogl αrphiqu es sur le Jesuites de I'ancienne mission
de Chil1e. 1552-1773 (Shanghai: Imprimcric dc la Mi ssion Calholique, 1932), pp. 256-262;
Joscph Deherg 間 , Reperloire de Jesl/iles de Chille de 1552 à 1800 (Rome: Insliluluum
Hisloricum S.I., 1973). pp. 166-167; Pcdro De Ribadeneyra, Philippe Alegambe, and Nathaniel
B. Soulhwcll, BibliOlheca SC I ψ 1 0 1 川 11 Socielalis les lI (Roma: G.A. Lazza ri Varrcsc, 1676), p
589; Xu Zongzc 徐 宗 祿 , Mi l1gQi 啥 JI 削 Yes 叫 lI ishi yizhu IÎ) 咽 。 明 清 間 耶 穌 會 土 譯 者 提 要
(Shanghai: Shanghai shudian chubans 悅 , 2006) , p.293: Fang Hao }j 茲 , Zho l1ggl/o 訂 Gnzlwjiaos hi
renwlI =lllIcm [1 [ 圓 天 主 教 史 人 物 傳 (Beijing: ZO Il 即 a o wen hua c huban s l 珊 , 2007), pp. 307-310

Luisa M. Patemicò I Martino Martini and the First Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 233
Rome when he was eighteen years old. In the “ Collegio Romano" [Roman college],
one of his teachers was Alhanasius Kircher (1602-1680), a famous polymath that
played a key role in the formation of seventeenth century literati culture. When he
was only twenty-two years old and had just been ordained priest, Martini left for
C hi 且 a. He arrived in 1643, after the mandatory stops in Lisbon, Goa and Macao. 8
Those were transitional years in China; the Ming dynasty was on the brink of
collapse, and in 1644 the Manchu dynasty ofthe Qing rose to power. 9 Martini spent
some time in Shanghai studying Chinese before travelling on to his 日 na l residence
During the Manchu occupation, described in his work De 8 ello Tartarico Historia
[History of the Tartari c War] , 10 published in Antwe 叩 in 1654 duri 時 hi s travels
in Europe, he was between Han gzhou 杭 州 、 I and Nanj 呵 南 京 . At first he took the
side of the Ming loya lists and became known as the Huop 仰 的 ichen 火 炮 士 臣
“ Gunpowder Mandarin," for having made his knowledge ofballistics available to the
military officer Li u Zhongzao 劉 中 藻 , helping him to forge carillons in the westem
way. After moving to various areas of Zhejiang 漸 江 province , in 1648, Martini
settled in Hangzhou, where he was appointed Superior of the Jesuit residence in
1650." The following ye 渴 r, the Provincial Father Di 日 z decided to send Martini, who
was still very young, to Rome as Procurator of the China mission, so that he could
negotiate again with the Holy See on the matter of the prohibition of the Chinese rites,' 2
8 Regarding thc Portugucsc Padroado on transportation 10 and from China, scc Nic holas
Standaert, 1-1,α I1dbo ok olChrislial1ily olChil1a (Leidcn-Boston-Köln: Brill 司 2 001 ) . pp. 309-313
9 For morc infonnati oll about the histol)' of thc period, see Picro Corradini, Cin 吭 pο'poli e società
III C 川 qu e 川 ill 的 111; di slorÎa (Fircnzc: Giunli 、 1 996) , pp. 256-278
10 Martino Martini, De 8 ello 矢 " 的 rico I-lisloria (Antwcrp: Ba1thasar Moretus, 1654), pp. 94-95
11 Archi v\lm ROman1l1l1 Sociclatis Jes lI (hcrcartcr rcrcrrcd to as ARSI), Jap. Sin. 134, f. 343, n. 16
12 The Chincsc Ritcs cont roversy has bccn widcly c x ami n 口 J , sce: Gian Domcni co Ga bian i,
Dissertal;o apυ loge t ica scr;pta (1 11110 16'80. De SÎnel1S;lIf11 Ritiblls Po/iticis (Leodii: Gu liclmum
Henricll lTI Strccl Typographll lTI, 1700); Hcnri Bernard-Maître, "Un dossier bibliographiqllc
dc la tìn dl1 XV llc siéclc sur la qucstion dcs tcnncs c hin oi 丸 R eche 阿 hes de science re/igieuse
36(1949): 25-79; Rcnc Etiemblc, L esjés lli l 凹 的 1 Chil1e - 10 querelle des 川 les (1 552-177 砂
(Pari s: Rcné Jlll liard. 1966). Rcgarding Martini 's position in the controversy. scc: Joscph
Scbcs. “ 11 rllolo di Martino M 叫 lini nclla controversia dci Riti Cinesi ," in G. M c l 峙 , c d 、 Martin o

234 漢 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
which had been decreed by Pope lnnocent X in 1645 13 and that the Jesuits had not
respected
He left in the direction of Europe where, after a long and arduous journey
taldng an unusual route, he arrived in 1653. After landing in Bergen, Norway, he
traveled for about one year between the main European cities, collecting funds for
the mission, recruiting new missionaries, printing his works on Chinese history
and geography, and meeting the most important political and cultural figures of the
time. His last stop before arriving in Rome was Vien 悶 , where he resided shortly
in September 1654 together with tbe Chinese neophyte, Dominicus Siquin, who
had accompanied him throughout his journey.14 In October tbe same year, Martini
arrived in Rome and immediately started working to ful 自 11 his duties as Procurator.
We know that, in the following months, he addressed two letters to the
Cardinals of Propaganda Fide requesting that they meet him to discuss the Rites
Controversy,15 and also published a report on the situatioll of the China mission. 16
[n 1655, he forwarded a proposal to the Pope requesting permission to found a
seminary in China and to concede faci litation for Chinese converts. 17 Finally, he
submitted a memorial on the rites controversy to the Congregations of Propaganda
Fide and of the [nquisition. Following accusations of allowing idolatry that had
been made towards the Jesuits in previous years by the Dominican Juan Baptista de
Morales (1597-1664), Martini found both the Pope and the Cardinals very biased
MartÎni , Geog l 可 O. C.α rlograj.ο . Slori 凹 .7 卸 的 go: AlIi del Convegl1o Internazionale (Trcnto
Universilà degli Studi di Trcn1o, 1983), pp. 446-453
13 The fu ll lexl can be Found in Co llecla l/ea 丘 Congl'egalionis de Propaganda Fide. seu Dec l 它 的 ,
Ins 1 1'1IC1 ;011 肘 . Rescripla p"o aposlolicis Miss ion 的 肘 , vol. 1, 1622-1866 (Roma: Ex Typographia
Polyglotta, 1907), pp. 30-35
14 The information rcgarding lhc prcscnce of lhis young Chinese convcrt in Vienna in 1654 comcs
from Domingo Navarrc 間 , η 'o lados historicos. politicos. elhicos y religiosos de la Monarchia de
Chil1a (Madrid: En la Imprcnla Real Por JlIan Garcia Infan ♀ 0 11 , 1676), p. 25, 333
15 Published with thcir Ilalian lranslalion in Bcrtuccioli, ed. , Opera Oll1l7ia. vol. 1, pp. 319-327
16 Martino Martinî, 8revis Relalio de NUl1Iero ef QuolilOle Chrislianorum aplld S. 川 的 (Rome: 1. De
Lazze 悶 , 1 654)
17 日 ertllccioli , ed. , Opera Oll1l1i(l, vol. 1, pp. 328-339

Luisa M. Patemicò / Martino Martini and thc First Grammar ofMandarin Chinese 235
against the Jesuits in th 的 matt e r. 18 Martini stood on the side of Matteo Ricci and his
evangelization method, which was based on the tolerance ofthe Chinese traditions of
worship, s 巴 巴 in g them as civil rites and thus compatible with the precepts ofChristian
religion. 19
In August the same year, Martini made his faith confession of the four solemn
vows and the five particular promises and saw the publication of his Novus A llas
Sin e 仰 n 肘 1.
tωo h 巴 a d back tωo Cαh 圳 1tn 附 1 a. On December 19 代 ' h , h 巴 l eft Rome for Ge 叩 noa / I and 什 fl romn 1
here h 悄 巴 e mb 恤 ar 他 ke 吋 d on a boa 剖 t tωo Li s 拘 bo t1 on J a n 叫 u a r 句 y l1'h 1656. However, hazards
and adversities were a constant on sea joumeys at that time and the boat on which
Martini and twelve other missionaries were sailing was attacked and taken captive
by a French pirate vessel near Alicante. It was thanks to the negotiations carried out
by Martini himself that, though robbed of all their belon g in 郎 , the missionaries were
allowed to go back to Genoa on February 16'h. 22
Martini had to wait one extra year for his departure fTom Lisbon to China
During that time he probably had the oppo 付 unity to go back to Rome and complete
his work on Chinese history Sinicae Historiae D ecas Prima [The First Ten Books
of Chinese Hi story], which was published in Munich in 1658, when he had
already arrived in China. lt was also during this second stay in Rome that he had
the opportunity to meet the Spanish polymath Juan Caramuel (1606-1682) and
give him some Chinese lessons. He left for China on April 4 弋 16 57 , 23 where he
18 Louis Bourdalouc and Gabriel Oaniel, Hisloire apologéliqlle de la COlldllile d. 由 jésuites de 1(1
Chine addressee à messieurs des missioJ1S é l 間 , 哼 白 白 ; (Paris, 1700), pp. 19-21
19 Bcrtuccioli, cd., Opera Ol/lllia, vol. 1, pp. 371-4 18
20 Martino MaJ1ini, NovlIs Allω Sin e l 凹 的 (Am sterda m : J. Blaeu, 1655)
21 ARSI, Hist. Soc. 23 (Oiaries 1610-1655), f. 90
22 This cpisode is described in great detail by Ferdinand Ve rbicst in the "Epistola ad P. Ignatium
Melgaert" (Gcnoa, February 1656), in Docl 間 的 Ils Sllr Alberl Dorvil 缸 , cd. H. Bosmans (Louva in
Bureaux dcs analcctcs, Imprimcric ct lithographie Van Linthout, 1911), pp. 33-37
23 Joscph Wicki. "Listc dcr Jcsuitcn-Indienfahrer 1541- 1758," PO/ 川 'g l 的 isch e Forschllngen der
GÖ I 吋 'sgese llschaft . Ersle Reihe: AII(sälze zlIr porlllgiesischell Kullllrgeschichle, vol. 7 (1967), n

236 漢 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
arrived the following year. After a short period spent in Macao, Martini returned to
Hangzhou, where he devoted himselfto the building ofa church, which would later
be described as the most beautiful in the entire Empire. He passed away a few years
later, in 1661, when he was only forty-seven years old
3. Martini's Grammar ofthe Chinese Language and
Its Circulation
lt is rather improbable that Martini started the compilation of his Chinese
gramrnar during his first stay in China (1643-1650). ln that period, in fact, he was
still busy striving to leam and perfect the language, as well as traveling, escaping,
hiding and worrying about the destiny of the mission. Those years were fraught
with political changes and the missionaries did not know whether the dynastic
change would put at risk the presence of the Christian mission in China. However,
we can suppose that Martini, whi le dedicating himself to the study of Chinese, was
collecting some notes on the structure of sentences and on pronunciation, probably
企 om both explanations given by somebody who was helping him and from his own
observations made whi le interacting with people, reading and translating. It is also
po 諮 詢 le
to suppose that these annotations were just for his own benefit, and thus
written in the language most congenial 10 himself, ltalian or German, given the
bilingualism ofTrento, the cily he grew up in
When Martini was sent back to Europe as Procurator of the China Mission,
he often went through periods of enforced inactivi 旬 ., for example while waiting for
ships to ca 付 y him back to the West or for the Dutch to release him. As a matter of
fact, he had to spend a period often months in Mani l a , 台 om March 1651 to January
1652, and then a stretch of about eight or nine months imprisoned in Batavia 仕 om
May 1652 to February 1653. During those long days, he found himselfwith quite a
lot of time to dedicate to his studies and it was probably at that time that he decided
89/1031, O. 301

Lui sa M. Paternicò / Martil10 Marti l1i al1d the First Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 237
to put together his notes organically on the Chinese grammar, translating them into
Latin and giving to the topics a logical sequence which reflected the description of
the eight parts of the speech of Latin grammars. A small manuscript of twenty-six
pages, with concise explanations in Latin and copious examples in both Chinese
characters and romani zations, was very likely left by Martini in Batavia upon
d 巴 partllre.
We know for sure that a manllscript of Martini 's grammar, which also
contained some remarks by Philippe Couplet (1623-1693),24 was sent to Europe in
1689 as a gi 食 品 。 m the DlItch doc!or Andreas Cleyer (1634-1697/98) 10 Christian
Mentzel (1622-1701), a German proto-sinologist who was engaged in the study of
Chinese. This exchange is con 自 rmed by some lines that can be read on the copy of
出 e
manuscript made by T.S. Bayer in 1716 from Mentzel's original, which at that
time was still preserved in Berlin Royal Library but today is lost: 25
Menzelill s exemplari quod nun c est in Regia Bibliotheca, ac quo ad
consignandam c1avem suam olim lISUS est, adscripsit: Hoc Mss. Grammaticæ
Sin icæ Sigillis Sinensillm authorisaturn et corroboratum transmissum mi hi
Christiano Mentzelio fu it Batavia ex inslIla Java m 句 。 re dono a CI. Dn. Andreas
C1eyero 1689.""
Martini boarded a ship from Batavia to Europe on the 1" ofFebruary, 1652 and
spent seven months at sea, with only one stop of twenty days at the Cape of Good
Hope 叮 During tbose months, Martini probably thought over his duties as Procurator
wbicb included, as ide from pleading for tbe Jesuits in the Rites Controversy,
diffusing infonnati on about China in order to advertise the mission, co llecting funds
24 For his biography scc Pfi s t cr‘ No tÎc 酌 , pp. 307-314; Dchcrgne, Rep 凹 的 ire , pp. 66-67
25 Thc copy is 110W prcservcd in G1asgow University Libra 旬 , H untcr MSS 299 (U.6.17), 11. 1. Thc
l1lanuscripl has bccn publishcd accompanied by an Italian translatÎon in Bcrtuccioli , Martino
Mω 1;11; s.J.. Opera 0 州 n;a , vol. 2, pp. 384-451
26 Trans1ation: 111 Mcntzcl's cxcmp1ar, currcn t1y preservcd il1 Bcrlin's library and which hc uscd 10
compi1c the key, thc l'o l1 ow i l1 且 wa s wri tten: this manuscript of a Chinese grammar. authorÎzcd
by a Chinese stamp, was scnt to rr 凹 , Christian Mcntzcl. from Batavia, 011 thc main Indollcsian
island, as a gifl fro ll1 Dr. Andrcas Clcyer in 1689
27 Martini , De 8e/, 的 況 11 的 n 口 ., Hisloria , p. 12

238 漢 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
and enrolling new missionaries. The Italian Jesuit thus realized that his grammar
booklet might be very useful if circulated in Europe among intellectuals and future
missionaries to China. He then decided to revise it, enlarging the explanations in
Latin, eliminating some examples for which he could not provide c1ear grammatical
justification and giving it a title: Grammatica Linguae Sinensis.
After landing in Bergen, Norway, in August 1653, Martini delayed his arrival
in Rome for more than one year until October 1654. 28 He spent the intervening
months traveling between the main European cities to promote the mission and
ensure the publication of his works on Chinese history and geography. He probably
also tried to have his grammar printed but, given the difficulties presented by the
Chinese characters, he gave up and got some manuscript copies made instead
However, the copyists engaged in this work did not know Chinese and therefore did
not copy the Chinese characters of the original text. Furthermore, since they were
probably put under pressure and had to work quickly, they made several mistakes
and took the liberty of abbreviating some words or truncating some parts
Martini gifted his grammar to some scholars who were interested in leaming
Chinese, like the Dutch orientalist Jacob Oohl (1596-1667) and, later on, the
Spanish scientist Juan Caramuel. From these copies, others were very likely made,
which circulated in the main European Jesuit Colleges. Martini's Chinese grammar
must have been an enormous success and thi s is confirmed by the number of
manuscnpt co 仰 的 which have been found and which keep resurfacing in European
private and public libraries or archives
Martini kept refining and adding annotations to his book1et, until at least 1656.
Proof of this can be seen in the copy today preserved in the Historical Diocesan
Archive ofVigevano. This manuscript is enriched by 出 ree precious side annotations,
which integrate its contents or justif 扯 some choices
In 1657, when Martini left Europe again to retum to China, he most likely took
28 The Fatber General of lhe Jesuils, Goswin Nickel, wrolc a lellcr in July 1654, asking him 10
hurry 10 Rome. See: Bo sm 副 祖 , Docllln e l1fs slIr Alberl Dorville, pp. 16-18

Lui 個 M . Patemi cò I Martino Mart ini and the First Grammar of Mandarin Chi nese 239
with hi l11 the original copy of the gral11l11ar, which at the ti l11e of writing bas yet to
be found. However, Martini 's gral11l11ar in Europe took on a Iife on its own: several
copies and translations were l11ade. Also, given the lack of laws protecting copyright
at the ti l11e, many owners of the gram l11ar reworked it or used it to cOl1lpile other
handbooks 011 Chinese and then appended their signatures to it. Nonetheless, those
authors sOl1lehow contributed to the spread of Martini 's gral11mar. Being the only
tool to leam Mandarin Cbinese at the ti l1le, this gral11l11ar becal11e very requested
and popular al110ng European intellectuals, espec ially those engaged in looking
for the / i 愕 間 。dam 的 c a [the langllage of Adal1l] , the pri l11 iti ve langllage used
by all hllman beings before the destruction of the Tower of Babel. This langllage
supposedl y had meanings which were closer to the reality of things, witb few
words and simple grammar structures. Many outstanding leamed men of the tim 吼
叫 k e Francis Bacon (1561-1625), Atbanas ills Kircher, John Webb (1611-1672),
Andreas Müller (1630-1694), Christian Mentzel , Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716)
etc., started looking at Chinese as a possible candidate for this primiti ve language
dlle to its ideographic writing system, and thllS inev itably became in volved in the
recentl y-bom discipline of Sinology29 This qllest eventually led to the C/avis Sinica
[Key for Chinese] projects of Müller and Mentzel. The C/aνα Sin ica was intended
to be a tool to fac ilitate the learning of the Chinese characters. Since they were
seen as representing di rectl y the natural world, l11astering them wOllld have meant
possessing the key to nature 川 ) Martini 's grammar provided the fOllndation for these
di sq uisitions
4. Manuscript Copies ofMartini's Grammar
Five manuscripts of Martini 's graml1lar have already been stlldied by Giuliano
29 Scc: David E. MUIlgcllo, CnrÎolls Lalld, j.ω uÎI Accom 叫 “la(ju tl and ,I!e Origins ( ~r Sinolog.\
(I-Ionolulu: Univcrsity of I-Iawa ii Prcss. 1989). pp. 174-207
30 For a dcta ilcd dcscriptiol1 oft hc projcct. sec: Mungcllo. ClIr iolls Lm 叫 '. pp. 198-203. 211-229

240 I 吳 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
Bertuccioli: three are now preserved in Glasgow University Library, one in Berlin
National Library, and one in the Jagiellonska Library of Krakow. 31 It is important
to highlight that the manuscripts in Glasgow are copies made by T. S. Bayer
(1694-1738) in 1716 from originals formerly preserved in the Berlin Royal Library,
which seem to have been lost during the Second World War. Therefore, all three
copies are in the same handwriting, i.e. Bayer's
Another copy was found in Rome in the private archive of the Itali an
mathematician and sinologist Giovanni Vacca (1872-1953) which 1 was able to
access in November 2010. This grammar is actually bOllnd and has a hard cover. lt
appears to be identical to one ofthose already studied by B e rtuc c ioli 扭
At Cambrai Municipal Library 1 discovered another copy. This grammar was
wrongly attributed 10 the Jesuit mis s ion a 巾 , Prospero lntorcetta (1625-1696):3 by
Louis P 自 ster
in the Notices [lnformation), his bio-bibliographical work on the Jesuits
in China. 34 Making the mistake of coUocating the work among the manllscripts of
31 Thc copics found by Bcrtuccioli havc bcen analyzcd both in MClrlino M 卸 的 7i S J. . Opera Omnia,
vo 1. 2, pp. 355-368 and in Gîu liano Bcrtuccioli , "Martino Martini 's Grammar;ca Sinica:
!vlonu l1I 凹 的 Serica 51(2003): 629-64 0. Sce also: Luisa Patemicò ( 降 筒 除 ), "Cong Zho l1gg' , 。
" 的 阱 1 dao Zhongg llo l'lnven We 妒 1 : Wci Kuangguo yllfa de lillchuan yu budllan fengfll de
gllochcng t a ntao 從 ( I:þ 閱 文 法 } 到 { 中 國 語 文 文 法 } 衛 匡 國 語 法 的 流 傳 與 不 斷 殷 商 的 程
序 探 討 :' introduction to Zhongguo ý 恰 阱 , 中 國 文 法 , by Wci Ku a n gguo 衛 i 主 閩 、 tra n s. by Bai
Z u o li a n 皂 白 你 良 (S h a n gh ai: Huadong Shifan Dax lIc c hll ba n s l 時 , 2 011) , pp. 24-41
32 See bclow, Grammar A
33 For l nto rcc t 個 's biography see: David E. MlIngcllo, The Forgollel1 Ch 川 的 Qns 0/ Hangzholl
(Honollllll: Univcrsity of Hawaii Prcss, 1994), pp. 41-67; Cannclo Capizzi,“Pcr una biografia
scientifïca di Prospcro Intorcetta," in Alfj del co n νeg no Scienziati Siciliani GeslIili ;11 Cina
l1el XVII secolo, cd. A. LlIini (Roma, 1983), pp. 197-217; XlI Zongze 徐 宗 律 , 明 清 間 耶 穌
會 上 譯 者 提 耍 , p. 298‘ Fang H ao 方 豪 , 中 闊 天 主 教 史 人 物 傅 , pp. 320-326. Most of the
biographics deri ve infonnation from lntorcetta's o\Vn handwrittcn biography in ARSl, Sic. 189,
你 327- 3 27v
34 Plistcr, Notices, p. 328 “ Grammatica linguoe s in ens i,'、 A la bibliothèque de Li l 缸 • calal. des
!vISS. . 11. 840. D 'aprè lfl1e l10le écrile de 10 1110;11 d'Ab. Rémusal, jσn v. 1832, celle grammaire a
élé imprim 自 叫 I XVII siéc/e. el devaitfaire SII;le à /0 Ira dl 叫 io n du 丑 h O l1g -yo ng du P. Intorce t 師 ,
μ adll Clio l1 inserée dcms 10 co lJøζ lio l7 de Thévenol. (p. 71 仰 "

Lui sa M. Palemicò / Marlino Marlini and lhe Firsl Gramrnar of Mandarin Chinese 24 1
Lille Municipal Library instead of Cambrai's, Pfister made an additional error
in be li eving the grammar was lntorcetta's simply on the basis of a handwritten
annotation added by Rémusat which stated that, at the end of a printed copy
of this work in hi s possession, there were the two characters Zhongyo ng 中 膺 , The
D OClrine o{ the M 缸 111 , one of the Confucian classics which had been translated by
lntorcetta: 35
Le petit ouvrage intitulé: .Grammatica Li l1\!ue Sinen s i~ a eté imprimé dans le
cours du 17e siècle, fomlat petit in-Folio; et l' on peut juger à I ' impre 叩 on , ausSI
bien qu ' aux deux ca rac t é res 府 中 CÐd 口 un!!-voun!! in medio constantill) gra 泊 s
en bois et placé au bor de la derni ére page qu ' il devail-être joint à la traduction
l a til 凡 e de 1' 1mmutabile Mediu!ll, dll P. Prosper Int orce t 徊 , et inséré dans la
collection de Melch. Th 仇 eno t. Je ne connais auclln exemplair de cette collection
o 白 il se trollve, et je n ' 的 Vll qll 'on selll e 次 empl a ir de la Grammaire même, le quel
est -mall1tenant- en ma possesslon
Jan v. 1832,
H.A. R
Cette signature est ce lle de M. Abel Rén>usat qui a fa il l' observation précedente
Pari s 9 Janvier 1832
Le Marquis de Fortia d' Urban ,
de I'académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres 36
Th is grammar is very similar to one of the G lasgow manuscripts 37 and to
35 Thc annotation can be al50 found in : Francc Ministère dc I' instruction pub lîque, Cala lυ'g lle
générlll dei'i mGm 的 Cr;ls des bibliolhèql 他 S fJubliques de Fr( 川 ce (Pa ri s: Librarie Plon, 1891), P
390
36 Translal ion: Thc short work cnlillcd: Grammar of the Chinesc La lH:!U3Q Ç: was printed during thc
17 1h century, in a small in-folio fonnat‘ and il can be sllpposed fro 叩 t h e fO l1 t. 帥 、 叩 11 as from thc
Iwo characters Iflïlj-I CÐ'choUnQ-VO LIIH! in I11cdio co n s 旭 nt 川 en gravcd in wood and locatcd al thc
bottOJ11 of the last page. that it mllst havc bccn attachcd to thc Latin translation of thc 1 且 旦 旦 且 趾 k
m 且 也 盟 , by Fathcr Prospcr Intorcctta, and inscl1cd in thc ∞ lI ec ti o l1 01' Mclch. Thével1ol. 1 do
not kno\V 01' al1y copy 01' this co ll ec t 旭 、 w h c rc ìt can be found, and 1 havc I1cvcr sccn any but onc
othcr cxemplar of this samc Grammar, which Îs prcscnt ly in my po ssc 目 的 n. Jal1l1ary 1832. 1-I.A.R
This is the sigl1atllrc of M. Abcl Rél11usat who has made the statel11ent above. Paris, .lal1l1ary 91h
1832. The Marqll 呵 。 f de Fortia d'U rb al 丸 。 fthc Académie dcs inscriplions cl bcllcs-lcltrcs
37 Grammar C, scc fllrthcr 011 in Ihis papcr.

242 1 美 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
another copy preserved at the Historical Diocesan Archive ofVigevano, which has
been recently proved to be attributable 10 Martini. When I visited the Vigevanese
archive r was allowed 10 access a precious collection of books and manuscripts
which had once belonged to the Spanish polymath Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, who
had been bishop of that city. ln the archive a small manuscript grammar, wi 也 ne ith er
date nor author's name, is preserved. Retracing the events occurring between 1656
and 1657, my research concluded Ihat the manuscript in Vigevano was donated by
Martini to Juan Caramuel, to whom the Jesuit had taught Chinese during his sojoum
in Rome 胡
Here follows a brief description of the eight manuscript copies
(1) Glasgow - Grammar A 39
This grammar entitled Grammatica Sinica has 26 pages , 的 divided into three
chapters and subdivided into a variable number of paragraphs.

LlIisa M. Palemicò I Manino Marli ni and lhe Firsl Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 243
5. De nOlllinublls posilivis, cOlllparativis et sllperlativis
6. Appendix : De pronolllinibus
7. De nUllleris eorulllqllc particlllis quas num 巴 ricas vocabo
The text consists of brief gralllmar explanations in Latin, accompanied by
nU l11erous exal11ples 0 仟 ered in both Chinese characters and transcription. Bertllccioli
cal11e to the conclusion that this was the closest copy to Martini ' s orig in 訓 , since
Martini 's name is on the title-page and there is indication that the copy was sent by
Andreas Cleyer to Christian Mentzel in Gennany in 1689 4 1 In the same collection
of manllscripts, at the next collocation, another of Martini 's Illanuscripts can be
found , Charactef 它 's radicales ex autoW: Martinii [Radical characters fro l11 Martini 's
autograph], containing a list of the radicals. Bertuccioli also grounded his choice
on the fact that this was the only manllscript which seemed cOl11plete if compared
to the other two in Glasgow, one l11issing half of the graml11atical explanations and
the other one l11issing the list of the Chinese sounds. Bertuccioli also concluded that
this copy l11ust be earlier than the others becallse it shows no arrangement of the
characters according to the 214-radical systel11, unlike Graml11ars B and E described
below. 的
(2) Glasgow - Grammar B 43
The copy entitled Martinio Cupletiana Grammatica Sinica [Martini and
COllplet' s Ch in ese Graml11ar] , has a different strllcture cOlllpared to the one
described above. The Illain difference is that it is divided into fOllr classes il1stead of
three chapters and covers a total of 51 pages
旦 益 旦 臼 血 盟 ι
41 Glasgow's Grammar A has bcen transcribed and lranslaled into Ital ian by 8ertuccioli and
incllldcd in Marli l10 Ma/'lil1i S.J.. Opera O/l1l1ia, vol. 2 、 pp.383-466
42 The arrangcmcnl oflhc characlers undcr 214 radicals was lIscd for the first time by Mei Yingzuo
悔 將 jjiV (1570-161 5) in the dictionary Zihui 字 架 Martini docs not scem to have known or takcn
Înto consideration this work and hc arrangcs thc radicals according to a mQrc ancient systC n1. Sce
Bcrtuccioli , Marrino A4artini 丘 J.. Opera Omnia. vol. 2, pp. 453-466
43 In Glasgow Uni vcrsity Libra 旬 , HlInter MSS 299 (U.6.17), n. 3

244 漢 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
Numerum Chinensium absque fonnatione characterum exhibet.
Classis secunda
De formationes radicalium cum eorum capitibus et subsequentium numeris
exhibet
已 垣 鎧 盜 且 上
Proponit voces Sinensi Ul 吭 , quae omnes monosyllabice pronunciantur et juxta
Dictionarii Hispanici ABC disponuntur ad formationem characterum c1 assis
accomodatas
已 垣 盜 i s r 笠 ;
Grammaticalia quaedam a P. P. Societatis observata et prodita constitunt in
1. Quinque accentibus sive tonis vocum
2. Nominibus et eorum declinatione
3. Pronorninibus
4. Verborum coniugationibus
5. Praepositionibus
6. Adverbis
7. Interjectionibus
8. Coniunctioniblls
9. Nominibus positivis, comparativis et superlativis
10. Appendix : De pronominibus
11. De numeris eorumque particulis numericis
[n this manuscript (00, the explanations in Latin are accompanied by Chinese
characters, which, however, are often incorrect. Only the fourth class, entitled
Grammaticalia quaedam a P. P. Societatis observata et prodita consistunt in [The
Grammar rules which were observed and explained by the Fathers of the Society of
Jesus, consist in l, appears c10ser to the text of Grammar A, with which it shares its
general organization and topics. The rest must have been added by Philippe Couplet,
as made c1ear by the title. Of the l as t 自 v e paragraphs, only the titles are listed but no
contents are added. This does not necessarily mean that the original copy was not
complete. We could assume 出 at it was Bayer's choice to omit them or maybe he just
did not have enough time to finish copying them. The missing parts ofthe text ofthis

Lu isa M. Paternicò / Martino Martin i and the First Grammar or Mandarin Chinese 245
grammar were probably similar to those we can read in Grammar E," which was
inserted in Christian Mentzel's Clavis Sinica
(3) G lasgow - Grammar C 吋
This copy has on its title page the words: ‘ Ludovici Picques Gr ammatica
S in 叫 7 ,
ex AlItogr. Auctori s... " [Louis Picques' Chinese Grammar, from the
alltograph ofthe author]. The manllscript, therefore, lIsed to belong to LOllis Picques
(m. 1699), librari an at the Mazarine Library in Paris. It was probably given to
Picqlles by Couplet 46 and somehow also ended lIP in Berlin Library, most li kely
sent to Mentzel to help him studying Chinese. It was later on copied by B ay 訂 戶 ?
At the bottom of the first page there is a second titl 巴 , which was not noted down by
Bertllccioli in his transcription of tbe contents: Grammalica Linguae Sinensis. The
organi zation of Ihe content is very similar 10 that of Grammar A, having the same
number of chapters and paragraphs, and running to a total of 14 pages
已 組 監 控 血 型 且
l. VOCllm Sinensium numerus
2. Earllm Vocllm jllxta normam Latinorum explicatio
3. De tonis sell pronllnciatione di versa VOCllm
4. Qllaliter pronllnciantllr 5 toni
Canut se 心 lI ndllm
5. De nomini blls et eorum dec linationc
6. De pronominiblls
7. De VerborLIm coniugationibus
巳 迎 旦 旦 型 盟
8. De Praepositionibus
9. De Adverbis
10. De Intetjectionibus
44 日 crtu cc i o li . MarlÎno M 叫 1;11; S.J.. Opera OIllI1;a. vol. 2, pp. 361-362
45 11 Glas 且 ow University Li b ra 巾 , Hunler MSS 299 (U.6.17), n. 4
46 This is whal is stalcd by Baycr on thc titlc pagc orGrammar B
47 Ber 仙 ccio li. MarlÎno Marlin i 丘 J., Opera OIl/II;a , vol. 2, pp. 363-364

246 I 吳 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
11. De Coniunctione
12. De nllmeris eorumqlle particl1lis
13. Particulae nllmericae
14. De Pronominibl1s appendix
The Latin text, thol1gh, is not accompanied by Chinese characters and omits the
list ofsyllables and that ofthe radicals. Only the nl1mber ofsyllables is given, 318
(4) Krakow - Grammar D 48
This manl1script, whose al1thor seems to be Christian Mentzel, as stated on
the first page, is entitled Grammatica Si 月 icae Linguae Univer 古 alis [Grammar of
the Chinese Universal Language] and is divided into tbree chapters and a varying
numberofparagraphs, running to a total of27 pages
Liber I
Cap. T, .‘De natura VOCl1m Sinensium, ql1as literas Latinas vel alias Europeorum
admittant pro VOCl1m fomlatione ac pronl1ntiatione."
Cap. 11,“De ql1inq l1e toni generibus, ql1omodo sint pronunci a nd 悶 , ql1a' q cuilibet
rere voci Sinicae applicant 山 , pro diversitate s i g ni 自 c a ti o ni s."
Cap.IlI, “ De ipso Sinico-Characteristico-Latino Lex.ico."
μ 垣 r..l!.
Lex icum Sinico-Characteristico-Iatinum
U 坦 r TTl
Cap. 1, “ De partibus Grammaticae Sinensil1m et primo de Nomi ne et
Declinatione nominum."
Cap. 11, "De Nominibl1s Positivis, Comparativis et Superlativis."
Cap. III,“De Numeris et Particl1 lis nl1mericis
Cap. IV,“De Verbis et eorum coni l1gationibl1s."
Cap. V, '‘ De Pronominibl1s, ql1a alias ante verba ponl1ntl1r."
Cap. VT ,“ DeAdverb 的 ,
Cap. VlI, “ De Praepositionibl1s."
Cap. VIII,“De Conil1nctioniblls et Interjectionibl1s."
48 tn Kr 汰 。w Jagiellonian Library. in v. 2031, Ms. Sin. n. 10

Lui sa M. Palemi cò / Martino Ma 口 ini and the Firsl Grammar of Mandari n Chincse 247
μ 垣 r.lY
Cap.l,“De Lexico Characleristico-Sinico-Lalino in genere."
Cap.ll, “ De Numeris Sinensium omnibus."
Cap. llI, .‘De Literis radica li blls Lexici çù-guey dicti, in 17 ciassis diyisis
The lext of Liber 111 [Chapter 111] is simi lar 10 that of chapters 2 and 3 of
Grammar A bllt the explanatiolls are longer. Liber 11 is separated and contains a list
of Chinese sy llables. Martini 's name does nol appear; instead, in Lib 白 人 paragra ph
3, COllplet is mentioned 49 The wo rk appears 10 be a reworking of Mentzel on the
basis ofthe manllscripts he had access 10 whi le they were still preserved in 8 erlin
(5) Berlin/Krakow - Grammar E 50
Thi s grammar is inserted in the text of C hri stian Mentzel's Clavis Sinica
(1698), a work aiming at offering a tool to fac ilitate lhe leaming of Chinese S1 The
text, divided into fiv 巴 c1asses , shows few discrepancies with that of Grammar 8 but,
lInli ke the l a tter, 的 complete . 52 The work is quite extensive and covers 133 pages
(266 r/v)
旦 益 型 之 虹 盟 主
NlIl11erum Chinensill l11 absqlle fomlatione Characterum si1llpliciter exhibet
Classis secllnda
De fo nnatione rad icaliu 1ll CU1ll eorU 1ll capitibus et sllbsequentiulll n1l1lleris
ex hibet
旦 控 &i..Ul 上
Proponi t. yoces Sinensilllll, qllac O1llnes 1llonosy llab ice pronllnciantllr et juxta
4 9 日 c rtu c c i o l i , A 祉 lr1mυ MOrlilli S.J. . Op 酬 。 Olll l1 ill , vol. 2, pp. 365-366
50 111 Krakow Jagicllol1ska Library, inv. 2031, Ms. Sin. n. 14 al1d in ßerlin Natiol1al Library, Prcuss
Kulturbcsilz Ms. Dicz. A. Fol. 27. (Ihc co ll ocalion gi vcl1 by ßertuccioli in Marlil10 Marli/li
5J.. Opera 0 叫 , 川 人 vo l. 2, pp. 367, 晶 晶 L i bri Sil1 ici 19," is Ihe co llocaliol1 01' Ihc micro fì lm 01
Ihc mal1uscripl). Vcry li kely th c two co pics, today locatcd il1 two difl'crc l1l ci li cs, wc rc bOlh
prcscrvcd in ßcrli l1 bclorc Ihc Sccond World War
51 A detailcd dcscriplioll of Ihc CI", 叫 SiniclI proj ccl can bc found in Munge llo) C 川 的 IIS Land,
pp. 198-203, 211-229
52 日 e rtu c.c io li , "!fllrtiJ1u A4artilli 丘 J. . Opera Omnia. vol. 2‘ pp.367-368

248 漢 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
Dictionarii Hispanici ABC disponuntur ad fonnationem characterum c1 assis 2
accomodatus
已 恆 星 立 血 i
Grammaticalia quaedam a P. P. Societatis observata et prodita uperla. Quae a
bonis P. P. Societatis de Iingua hac ad Grammaticam spectantia, sunt obser、lata
consistunt in sequentibus
1. De 5 Accentibus sive tonis vocum
2. De Nominibus et eorum declinatione.
3. De Pronominibus
4. De Verborum conjucationibus
4a. De Praepositioniblls quaedam
5. De Adverbis
6. De Interjectionibus
7. De Coniunctionibus
8. De Nominis positivis, comparativis et superlativis
9. Appendix: De Pronominibus
10. De numeris eorumque particulis numericis
旦 控 益 is v:
Paradigmatibus qllibusdam in Latinum Sennonem resolutis Clavem concludit
Martini ' s grammar seems to have provided the basis for the compilation of
Classis IV [Class IV], as already included in the Martinio Cupleliana Grammatica
Sinica
(6) Rome - Grammar F 53
This manuscript is actually bound and has a hard cover. The former pages
were slightly cropped at the top and on the left side to 自 t the size of the cover. The
first page has a title which is identical to the second title of Grammar A. The work,
in fact, apa 口 企 om slight di 仟 巴 時 間 的 , is identical to Grammar A in botb structure
and content. [t is divided into three caput [chapters], which are subdivided into a
variable number of paragraphs. This grammar, in Latin with Chinese characters and
53 Pri vate co llection. This copy docs not ha vc a co ll ocat io l1 number which refers to its prcscnt
location

Lui sa M. Patemicò I Martino Martini and the Fi rst Graml11ar of Mandarin Chinese 249
transcriptions, covers a total of 74 pages
C 迎 監 控 且 也 1
1. Vocum Si nensium nllmenIS
2. Hanttn vocum prima juxta Latinos explicatio
3. QlIomodo 5 toni pronllnciantur.
Caout seclIndum
1. De nominibus et eOnIm decl inati one
2. De pronominibus
3. De verbonIl11 coniugationi bus
包 血 口 且 也 且
1. De praepositionibus
2. De adverbis
3. De interjectionibus
4. De conjunctioni bus qui bus raro utuntur
5. De nOl11inubus positivis, comparati vis et superlativis
6 . Appendix: De pronominibus
7. De nU l11eri s eoru l11qlle particul is quas numericas vocabo
Characteres Radicales
The pages are numbered in th e upper ri ght-hand corner. The examples and
the explanati ons are widely spaced apart. The first paragraph, containing the list of
Chinese syllables, shows a division of the page vertically in half: on the left side we
fi nd the 1 ist of characters and transcriptions, on the ri ght side the transcriptions are
repeated and a blank space is left, probably in order to be fi lled by the learner with
the characters. Unlike Grammar A thi s copy is bound together with a li st of 330
radi cals, whi ch are the same as those fo und by Bertuccioli in Glasgow and later 0 11
publi shed in the second volume of Marlino Marlini S 1. , Opera Omnia [M a 叫 “ 1 0
Martini, Society of Jesus, Complete works]
T he Chinese characters are ni cely wri tten, however, th e handwriting does not
seem to be Martini 's. Thi s copy was also “ augm ented" by Philippe Couplet as is
made clear by the ti tle but, at th 巴 prese nt state of the research, it is hard to separate
COllplet's contribution to this copy ofthe grammar

250 漢 學 研 究 第 四 卷 第 3 期
(7) Cambrai - Grammar G 54
Today preserved in the Municipal Library of Cambrai, this anonymous copy
of Grammatica Linguae Sinensis was formerly kept at another library in Cambrai,
the Library of St. Sepulcher, until 1779, as written on top of the third page. Cambrai
used to hosl a Jesuil College; therefore il is not surprising that Martini's grammar
was circulating there
The m a nu sc ri 阱 , bound together with a M 叫 c ii explanatio [Explanation on the
Mengzi], has on its first page a note signed by Abel R ému s 瓜 , statin g that a printed
copy of this rare work was in hi s possession
This grammar, which is written in a clear elegant way w ith large spaces, is
di vided into 3 chapters and the text covers a total of21 pages
Caout 1.um: De Vocibus Sinensibus
1 、locum Sinensium numerus
2. Hanlm vocum juxtà nomlas Latinarum explicatio
3. De tonis seu pronunciati one diversâ vocum ea rund 巴 m
4. Qualiter pronllnciandi 5 toni
已 鉛 且 主 且 且
1. De NOl11inibus et eorul11 declinatione
2. De Pronol11inibus
3. De Verborul11 Conjugationibus
CaOllt 3: D e 口 ræ o os iti o nibu s. adverbÿs. interi ectionibus et coniunctionibus
1. De Praepositionibus
2. De adverbÿs
3. De Interjectionibus
4. De Conjunctione
5. De nll l11eris eoru l11que particuli s
6. De nOl11inibus Positi vis, CO l11parati vis, Superlativis
7. De Pronominiblls Appendix
54 France Min istère de I' instruction pub lique, Cα ralog lle génàal d. 凹 mam 凶 。 山 , p. 390, MS. n
941

Luisa M. Patemicò / Martino Martini alld the First Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 251
d 仟 ers
It appears to be very similar in tenns of content and division to Grammar C but
in two respects: fìrst of all , the copyist of this grammar must have been in a
hurry, since mallywordsareabbreviated;secondl y, thi s grammar lacks four lines
which are present at the end of chapter 111, paragraph 2, of Grammar C, on Chinese
pronunciation. Aside from these di 仟 eren ces , the two texts are identical
(8) Vigevano - Grammar H 的
The G r amm ali ca Ling uae Sin e ns 悶 , preserved in the Hi stori cal Diocesan
Archive of Vigevano, appears 10 be the copy Martini kept with himself for the
longest tim 巴 , and which he had time to revise and add annotations to. He left it as a
gift to Juan Caramuel just before heading back to China
The ll1anuscript is a small in-folio of 21 pages, held together by a thin red
thread; it is di vided into 3 chapters ca lled “caput," which are subdi vided into
paragraphs
CaDut 1: De vocibus sinensibus
1. VOCUIll S in e n s i 山 n nU ll1erus
2. Hannn vocum prima iuxta latinas explicatio
3.0 巴 to ni s seu diversa earumdem VOCU 11l ap ud Sinas pronunciatione
4. Qualiter quinque hi toni pronunciarentur.
已 鉛 旦 旦
1. De nOll1inibus et eo rU 11l declinatione
2. De prono 11linibus
3. D e V, 巴 rborum con iugationibus
CaDut 111 : De orae 口 ositionibus. adverbvs. interiectionibus et coniunctionibus
L De Praepositionibus
2. De Adverbys
3. De Interjectionibus
4. De Coniunctione
55 In the Historical Diocesan Archivc of Vigevano, Fondo Caramucl. busta 4 1 、 fascicolo 31. This
grammar can bc found in both transcript 3nd Eng lish translation il1 PalcrnÎcò, Nfarr ÎJ/o At/arlini's
Gramll 叫 (!{ th e Chinese Langllage, pp. 147-219

252 漢 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
5. De numeris eorumqlle particulis qllas numericas vocabo
6. De nominubus positivis, comparativis et sllperlativis
7. De Pronominibus appendix
Tbe main body is in Latin with the characters of the examples written
alongside. The characters seem to have been added at a later time by a western
hand fami liar with Chinese writing. 80th the Latin text and the characters are
often corrected or underlined. The corrections, on one hand, makes us consider
the possibility of Martini's intervention to correct mistakes by the copyist; on the
other hand, we can presume that Caramuel underlined certain parts while studying
and tbat tbe characters were added by Martini during the lessons to Caramuel
This copy, furthermore, shows some side annotations written in the first person,
a careful examination of which has revealed Martini 's own handwriting. 56 The
general organization of the content follows that of Grammar A, even though the
list of radicals is missing, and it seems very close to those of Grammar C and G,
that 悶 , the other two copies of Grammatica Linguae Sinensis , with wbich it shares
an identical distribution oF chapters and paragraphs. The explanatiolls in Latin are
sometimes given using a different terminology, but the general meaning is the same;
they are less schematic and more detai led. There are fewer examples in Chinese in
compa 吋 son to Grammar A, but the list ofsyllables, omitted in Grammars C and G,57
appears again, despite the lack of characters
5. Printed Copies ofMartini's Grammar
In 1922, the French sinologist Paul Pelliot (1878-1945) bypotbesized that
Martini 's grammar of the Chinese language might have been printed in the 17 th
century and inserted in a Iimited number of copies of Mélchisedec Tbévenot's
56 See Patemicò, "Martino Martini c Juan CaramucJ," pp. 421-424
57 To be prc 刮 目 , both thc copyists of Grammars C and G had prefeπ'cd 10 omil the list of sy l1ablcs
and just quoted Ihe firsl fouιTh e copyisl ofGrammar G had probably intende 址 to add the ent ire
list later, since he left an empty page before cOlltinuing 10 copy the rest of thc tcxt

Lui sa M. Patcm icò / Martino Martini and the First Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 253
collection of travel reports: R elations d e divers νoyages curie ux S8 He grounded
his assumption on what he had read in the catalogue of the sale of Abel Rémusat
(1788-1832)'5 Iibrary.59 There, next to the entry Grammalica Linguae Sinens 悶 , it is
written tbat, judging from the kind of paper and font used, the work seemed to have
been prepared to be inserted in the R elations. Nobody, though, not even Rémusat
himself, had ever been able to find a copy ofThévenot's collection containing the
grammar. 60 My recent research has succeeded in finding more references on the
subject and ever 伽 ally led to the discovery of at least two copies of the Grammatica
Linguae Sinensis appended to the second volume of the 1696 edition of the
R ela tion s 創 This di scove 旬 , whi le validating Pelliot's hypothesis, allows us to
attribute the first grammar ever written or printed of Mandarin Chinese to Martino
Martini, preceding the publication ofVaro's work by seven years
On the trail ofwhat was hypothesized by Pelliot and wished for by Bertuccioli,
believing that Rémusat was indeed in possession ofa printed copy as he had stated in
his handwritten annotation to Grammar G, 1 have tried to fìnd as many references as
58 Pellio t. in his 3rticlc “ Le vcrilable aulcur des Ele 刑 的 lla Linguae 7 切 的 ricae , " T'ollng ?ao 21
(1922): 380-381, 386, prcscnlcd Ihe hYPolhesis Ihat onc of Ihc copics of Ihc grammar found
in Glasgow (see further il1 Ihis paper) was inscrted in the collCCliol1 of M. Thévcnol, Relatioll
de divers voyag 臼 c lI ri e llx (Firsl cdi tiol1 1663-1672 , Second c d 刊 ion 1696). Howcvcr, as
Bertuccioli has already highlighlcd in Martillo Mar' 川 i S. J ‘ Op era Oll1l1ia, vol. 2, p. 371. Pelliol
does 110t spccify which copy was insertcd
59 J.S. Merl 間 • Catalogue de.δ li vres , imprim 自 肘 1110111 吋 口 的 , composant /.α bi h lio thèqll e 耐 fell m
.J. -P Abel-Réll//.Isat (Paris: Chcz J.S. Mcrlin Librai 悶 . 1833), p. 50. Thc ca ta l og u c 、 s annotat lOl1
was cvcntually copicd by Cordicr and includcd in Hcnri Cordier, Bib/iotheca s inica 、 vo l. 3 (Paris
E. Guilmolo, 1904), col. 1650 刀 rammafÎCQ Lingllae SinensÎs. PefÎl in-fol de 15 pages sa17s
lilre. L 'onalogie du papier el c1es curactér, 成 .\' nous fail penser qu ïl élaif de.~'liné à la Colleclion
des voyag 叫 de TheνeJ1 0 1 . Celle GI 的 nmaire eSI lellemel1l rare qu 'i1 n 臼 t JC. 川 m e 叫 1 011 刑 ,I!e part
à 110 fre connaiSSGllce." d. rel.. dos I1/W:I: Cal, Rémusal (475) , FI: 15.95
60 Rémusat stftlcd this in his handwrittcn 8n J1otatio J1 addcd to the manuscript copy of thc grammar
found in Cambrai, which can also be found in: France Ministèrc de I' Înstnlclion publique, cd.,
Caraloglll! général des l1W111ISC 1' 叫 s des bibliothèqlles pllbliqll 臼 de Fra l1ce, p. 390, 11. 941
61 Onc copy has bccl1 found in Ihe Russian National Library of Moscow. Anolher copy is p 悶 senlly
prcscrvcd in Ihe Public Library of Ihe Cily of Boslon

254 ? 吳 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
possible conceming Martini's grammar publication. The works that have helped the
most have been old catalogues of rare books and manuscripts of European, American
and Asian libraries, as well as manuals for bibliophiles. A fìrst important reference
came from Brunet (1840), who claimed that a volume appended to Thévenot' s
collection, a Grammatica Linguae Sinensis of 15 pages, had been discovered in
the Royal Library of Berlin. 62 Tt appears that other authors like Zenker (1846) and
Grässe (1867), following Brunet, believed tbis grammar was in Berlin, inserted
in one of the editions of Thévenot's work but without specifying which one 的
The catalogue of the Berlin National Library contains three copies of Thévén 叭 's
collection, one of 1663-1672 64 and two of 1696,“ one ofwhich (1696) had been
lost during World War T1; the others do not contain Martini's grammar H6 During
the Second World War many books where stolen from Berlin's library. Some were
eventually found in Krakow, in the Jagiellonska Library. However, Thévénot's 1696
edition did not seem 10 have encountered this same fate
As 1 discovered at a later stage of the research, the 1696 edition of the
Re lations preserved in Moscow's Lenin National Library does in fact contain,
attached to the second volume, the printed version of the Graml 呵 atica Ling uae
Sinensis. 67 This was the very copy originally kept in Berlin, as is made clear by a
round red stamp with the words “ Ex Biblioth. Regia Berolinen." [From the Royal
62 Jacques C. Brunet, A4anuel du libraire eJ de /'amaleur de livres, vo 1. 5 (Paris: Chez Silvcstre,
1840), pp. 256, 813
63 Julius T. Zcnkcr, Bibliolheca Orienlalis. vol. 2 (Leip z i 且 Engelmann. 1846), p. 514; Johann G
Theodor Gr'Jsse, n 也 'o r de livres rares el p' 配 ie /lx , vol. 6 (Drcsdc: Rudolf Kuntze, 1867), p. 132
64 Collocation: 2" Ps 6300: R
65 Collocations: 2" Bibl. Diez 152- 155; 2" Libri impr. rari 152/153
66 The Abtcilung Historische Drucke of Berlin r、Jational Library rcplicd to my enquiry that thc
edition of 1696, coll. 2 刊 Libri impr. rari 152/153, was lost
67 Collocation: MK; IV-rþp. 2 0 • However, thc text is incorrcctly attributed: the title 間 correct but
Jean de Thévénot appears as author. Jean de Thévénot was actually a nephcw of Mélchisedcc and
has ofteo bccn confuscd with him. Jean de Thévénot (1633-1667) was a traveler and was author
of the work cntitled Relaliol1 d'lIl1 voyagej 訕 。 u Leνanl... P 山 Monsie ur de Thévénot (Paris
Thomas Jolly, 1665)

Luisa M. Palcmicò / Marlino Marl ini and Ihe Firsl Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 255
Library of 8 erlin], which appears on the second page
Further reference conceming the ex istence of another printed copy can be fo und
in a catalogue ofthe 80ston Public Libra 旬 , where, next to the entry for Grammal ica
Ling uae Sinensis, is written “ in Thevenot. Voyages, v. 2".68 As a l1latter of fa 仗 , the
library has a copy of this gra l1ll1lar which is attached to the second volul1le of 1696
edition ofthe Relations and is identical to the one preserved in Moscow. 69
Here follows a brief description of the gral1ll1lar published in the Relations
(1) Printed copy - Grammar I
This gra l1ll1lar of 15 pages entitled Grwnmatica Linguae Sinensis is written
with a slightly bigger font and a wider spac ing cOl1lpared to the other texts of the
Relations. The general organization of its content respects that of Gral1ll1lar A and it
is very sil1lilar to the other copies of Grammalica Ling uae Sinensis (G ral1ll1lars C, G
and H)
Canut orimun: De Vocibus Sinensiblls
1. Vocum Sinensium nllmerlls
2. Hanlln voclImjllsta normas Latinarllm explicatio
3. De tonis seu pronuntiatione diversa VOCUl11 earundem
4. Qualiter pronuntiandi qllinque toni
Caoul secundum: De Nominiblls. Pronominiblls. & Verbis
1. De Nominiblls et eorum decJ inatione
2. De Pronominiblls
3. De Verborum conjugationibus
Canut tertiu ll1: De Prae 口 o s i t i o nibll s. Adverbiis. In teriectioniblls. &
C oniunctionibus
1. De Praepositioniblls
68 日 o s l on Public Libra 旬 '. Il1dex 10 the Ca la 的 'g /le olBooks in II1e Upper Hal/ o/lI1e 凹 I b lic Li b 叩 門 ,
。{ II. 此 " Ciry (~r 80s1ο 11 (80510n: G. C. Rand and Avery, 1861). p. 166. Collocalion: s r E.696
T34 R
69 AnOlher copy should be preserved in New York Pu blic Library, as we can galhcr rrom a
calaloguc 01' Ihc Lenox Li brary, which loday is a parl 01" Ihc rormcr. Scc: Lcnox Library.
C 酬 的 ihulio 川 的 α Ca la logl 叮 o/l I1 e Lω 10.< Lihrary (New York : Lcnox Library‘ 1877), p. 18

256 漢 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
2. De Adverbiis
3. De lnterjectionibus
4. De Conjunctionibus
5. De Numeris, eorumqlle particul 的
6. De Nominibus Positivi 丸 Comparativis , Superlativis
7. De pronominibus Appendix
The text is exclllsively in Latin; at the bottom of page 7 there is the
character h e 禾 ,“ harvest ," and at the end of page 15 there are the two characters 中
庸 Zho ngyo 嗯 ,“ The Doctrine of the Mean. "
Unlike the above mentioned grammars, the text of pages 1 and 2 is
accompanied by five annotations conceming the initials, finals and pronunciation
of Chinese, which are attributed to Couplet by a note on the side. Following this, a
list of the Chinese syllables entitled Catalogus omnium dictionum Sinensium, proüt
à primis Missionariis ad usum Europaeorum confectus est [List of all the Chinese
syllables which were compiled by the 自 rst missionaries for the Europeans], whose
structure is different if compared with those of Grammars A and H, was possibly reordered
and annotated by Couplet. A last intervention by Couplet can be found on
page 7, where the text ofthe grammar states that the number ofthe Chinese syllables
is 3 18. Here, a note on the side adds: “ P. Couplet 324 voces esse refert" [Father
Couplet states that there are 324 syllables]. This leads us to believe that the editor,
though accepting Couplet's observations, probably did not want to alter the original
content ofthe grammar, which from page 6 onwards is identical to that ofGrammars
C and G (without the abbreviations of Grammar G). Thus, we can suppose that
the edition inserted in Thévenot's Relations derives 升 。 m the manuscript copies
circulating in francophone Europe, and not from one of the later refined and
annotated ones, like that which Martini left to Caramuel
(2) Copies Still to Be Found
At least four manuscript copies of the grammar, and who knows how many
printed ones, are still to be found

Luisa M. Patemi cò / M a 付 i n o Ma 巾 ni and Ihe Fi rsl Grammar of Manda ri n Chinese 257
As fo r the manuscript copies, we know of their ex istence th rough di fferent
kinds of fì.rst and second hand sources. First of all, the ori ginal copies of the three
manuscripts today held in Glasgow, whi ch were formerl y preserved in Berlin
Royal Libra 句 , are still collsidered lost during the Second World War. Finding those
documents and conducting an analysis of the handwritings would allow us to b e 位 er
clari fy the role of Philippe Couplet in enlarging the text of th e grammar and to
separate possible interpolati ons made by Cleyer, Mentzel or Bayer. These copies
could be somewhere in Gennany or Russia or in any country formerl y belonging to
the Sovi et Union
Thro ugh what was w ritte n by Bayer in hi s Museum Sinicum [Chinese
Museum], another copy should have been gifted by Martini to Jacob Gohl but we
do not have any other reference to co n 自 rm thi s. The problem is that Gohl 's books
appear to be scattered all around Europe and more research is needed
As for the original that Martini very likely took back to China, Iittle hope of
fì nding it remains. We know that a 自 re swept through the city of Hangzhou in 1692,
destroying the main hall of the church and the dormitory of the Jesuits. T h o u gh 出 E
library was on th e upper fl oor and was undamaged, at present it is hard to retrace the
books fomlerly preserved there, especially because access to manuscripts is often
deni ed in today's Chinese libraries
With regard to printed copies, we know that one used to be in the possession of
Abel Rémusat. Not only do we have a handwritten statement by Rémusat himself to
p rove 祉 , but a refercnce 10 this work can also be found in the catalogue of the sale
of hi 日 lib ra ry. Despite my many enquiries and visits to French libraries, especially
in Paris, 1 have not been able 10 fìnd it and the hypothesis that it has been sold to a
private collector becomes more and more plausible
Nonetheless, the search for more printed copies should continue especially in
Europe because it is very unlikely that onl y fo ur (one in Boston, one in Moscow, one
in *New York, *Rémusat's) 70 were made in 1696
70 'Prcs \lI1lably/nol fo und yCI

258 漢 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
6. Evolutionary Courses of Martini' s Grammar
Going back over the stages of the composition of the grammar, it is possible to
assert that Martini's work, aside from undergoing a revision process intended by its
author, encountered di 仟 erent destinies according to the geographical areas it ended
up in and its possessor.
Through the comparative analysis of the manuscript and printed copi 的 , four
development lines can be traced
- Line 1: Grammar A • Grammar C - Grammar G -*Gohl's copy71 •
Grammar H (with Martini's annotations)
- Line 2: Grammar A + Grammar C + Mentzel's reworking • Grammar 0
- Line 3: Grammar C - Grammar G- 叮 oh l ' s copy • Grammar I (with
Couplet's annotations)
- Line 4: Grammar A + Grammar B • Mentzel's Cla νis Sinica/Grammar E
Evolution Line 1 appears to be the only course intended by Martini himself
for his work. He must have made some sort of notebook for leaming Chinese and,
during his stays in the Philippines and Batavia, probably decided to rewrite it in an
ord 巴 red way. Presumably, in the beginnin 皂 , Martini did not think about writing a
formal descriptive Chinese grammar: as a matter of fact, the Grammatica Sinica he
eventuall y left in B a t 訂 閱 (Grammar A, w hi ch was forwarded to Europe in 1689)
was ri ch in examples but its explanations in Latin were very concise. The small
booklet he had was probably even left untitled, and Grammatica Sinica actuall y
appears to be the title given to the work by Bayer when copying it in Berlin in 1716
During the fo llowing months traveling back to Europe, Martini mi ght have started
to realize that his notebook could have had great utility if circulated with propaganda
aims among scholars and future missionaries to China. He started working on it,
en larging the grammatical explanations, eliminating some examples and omitling the
71 Trusli l1g whal Bayer wrole 011 Ihe lille.page of Grammar B, I havc decidcd 10 consider Gohl 's
copy similar to thc other copies of GrammaficCI L 川 guae Sinensis

LlIisa M. Patemicò / Martino Mart ini and lhe First Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 259
characters which accompanied the list of Chinese syllables 72 He also gave a title to
his work: Grammalica Linguae Sinensis. After landing in Europe in 1653, he had
some copies made but the copyists, not knowing how to write in Chinese, did not
copy the Chinese characters and some even decided to abbreviate the words of the
main body of the tex t (Grammar G). We know that Martini gifted Jacob Gohl with
one of these copies and a few others were probably made which circulated widely in
francophone Europe: 的 ide from minor di 仟 巴 renc 的 , tbey were all alike. 73
Dcspite being very busy carrying out his duties as Procurator, Martini continued
his work refining and annotating the text of the grammar. Three years later, when
donating a copy to his notable student, Juan Caramuel, he decided to correct some
of the copyi 仗 's ov 巴 rsights and to add the omitted Chinese characters. For sake of
completeness, he also wrote some side ant1otations, which he had probably added on
h 的 ori g ina l. In 1657. Martini probably brought his own ∞ py back to China whi 的 ,
at the present stage of the research, is considered lost
Line 2 saw Christian Mentzel playing a key role in using and reworking the
copies of Martini 's grammar that he was able to examine at the Iibrary of Frederick
William Elector of Brandenburg (1620-1688), of whom he was the personal
doctor. When Mentzel began studying Chinese, he was already sixty years old. He
maintained a c10se friendsb ip with the Dutch doctor in Batavia, Andreas Cleyer and
with the China Jesuit missionary Philippe Couplet who helped him considerably
with hi s study of Chinese by sending him books and manuals. 74 Grammar D
shows Mentzel as the autbor 75 but, fro I1l the distribution of the content, it is not
72 As Martinî himsclr cxplains in one of thc annotations 10 thc Vigevancsc grammar, it sccmed
supcrfluous add ing thc charactcrs to thc list of thc Chioese sy llab les, bccausc onc syllablc cOllld
match di fTcrcnt charactcrs. Sce P a t cm i c 丸 "Martino Martini e Juan Caramucl, " p. 422
73 As statcd abovc, Picqllcs Or C Ollplct 缸 Id ed rcw lincs to Gram l11ar C, chaptcr 111 pa r. 2
74 Bccallse of his int c 悶 S I in Eastcm culturcs and Botanics, Mentzcl maintaincd fricndl y relations
with both COllplct and Cleycr. scc: Eva Kra ft‘ "Christian Mcntzel, Philippc COllplet, Andrcas
Clcycr lInd die Chinesische M edi z 川 , " În H. Womlit, ed., FI 晶 的 hrift .fìir 妙 'o IIHaen is ch ( 如 t a rbllrg
Elwcrt, 1975), pp. 158-196
75 011 thc fìrst pagc of the grammar is wrÎucn thc fo llo w in 且 "L"bOl 戶 nm us , I I1 Vel1l U II1 叫 MSS

260 ? 吳 學 研 究 第 2 9 卷 第 3 期
hard to retrace its derivation from Martini's work. Mentzel had access to the
original manuscripts of Grammars A, B and C, whose copies are now in Glasgow.
Grammar B, though, the Martinio Cupletiana, does not seem to have influenced the
compilation ofGrammar D. Therefore, we can assume that Mentzel was only able to
read it at a later stage.
Development Line 3 led to the grammar's publication. Couplet, back in Europe
in 1683 as Procurator of the China mission, at some point came into possession of
the copies of Martini 's grammar that had been circul ating in francophone Europe for
nearly 由 irty years. Couplet slightly revised and annotated the text of the grammar
and, before he 海 ding back towards China, must have left a copy in France. In 1696,
this copy was printed and inserted in the new edition of Thévenot's Relations,
even though it was at the very last moment, since the text was appended to the
second volume. Having been appended it was also detachable, and this published
Grammatica Linguae Sinensis might have been at times sold separately. This could
explain why in today's libraries some 1696 editions of Thévenot' s work do not
contain the grammar, as well as why Rémusat owned just the grammar without
owning the rest ofthe Relations
Line 4. In the 1680s, mi ssionaries to China had had the opportunity of
studying the language with more tools than their predecessors. Couplet might have
felt well-versed enough in Chinese,76 that he decided to expand Martini's work in
a new grammar which, with a certain amount of honesty, a rarity at that time, he
call ed Martinio Cupletiana. An incomplete copy of this grammar is Glasgow's
Grammar B, probably donated by Couplet to his friend Mentzel. A complete and
extended version was included by Mentzel in his Clavis Sinica of 1698. Mentzel's
contribution can be seen in completing the classis prima, si nce the li st of the
Chrisliani Menlzelii D. phil. el med."' [First work created and manuscript by Christian Mentzel,
Ph .D. in medicine]
76 He had edited the Latin translation 0 1" three 0 1" the Confucian Four Books , see Prospcro
Intorcetta, Christian H c rdtri 吭 , François Rougemont, and Philippe Couplet, COI 阱 iCÎUS Sinarum
Philosophlls s iνe Scienlia Sillellsis Laline Exposilo (Paris: Daniel Hothcmcls, 1687)

Luisa M. Patemicò / Martino Martini and the First Grammar of Mandarin Chinese 261
numbers contained in the Grammatica stops at number 2 (er 二 ), while in the C/. 帥 的
Sinica stops at 100,000,000 (erroneously called wan wan 萬 萬 ). It might have also
been Mentzel who added the characters and 甘 anscriptions to all the syllables of the
Chinese listed in the c1assis tertia [third c1ass/chapter], whereas in the Grammatica
only in few cases were present
7. Final Remarks
Martino Martini , besides being a pioneer in introducing Chinese history and
geography to the Europeans, must be considered the father of linguistic studies
in Mandarin Chinese. His grammar, written between 1651-1652 and constantly
revised and ameliorated until at least 1657, first circulating in manuscript form and
then after 1696 in printed form , became an important tool for leaming Chinese
for intellectuals, orientalis 的 , curious people and future mi ssionaries. Through
the comparalive analysis of the copies discovered up to now, it has been possible
to separate the contributions to Martini 's work made by other scholars, such as
Couplet and Mentzel. This allows us today to deduce that, if Martini had had the
oppo 付 unity to have his grammar publi s h 巴 d , he would have probably chosen the
copy now preserved in Vigevano for publication. The manuscript with Co upl 叭 ' s
annotations, which was later printed (Grammar r), represents Martini 's gramrnar at
an intemlediate stage, between the first version and the last, the Grammatica Sinica
(Grammar A) and the Grammatica Linguae Sinensis (Grammar H) respectively77
Nonethel 的 s ,
having been able to find printed copies of this work is a further
confirmation of how much Martini 's grammar, the first grammar of Mandarin
Chinese ever written or published, was welcomed in Europe for its preciousness and
utility
77 A detailed comparative analysis betwccn these two copies can be found in: Pa t e mi c 白 , Ma 川 mo
Marti J1Î's Grammar ofthe Chil1ese L angt 的 許 , pp. 237-269

262 j 吳 學 研 究 第 29 卷 第 3 期
Table 1: Manuscript and printed copies 01 Martino Martin i's Grammar
Gramma r
A Grammalicα Sinica
Collocation
N. of N.of MS.or Chinese Other
pages chapters Printed characters a uthors
Notes
26 3 恥 1 s Yes Couplet Edited and
GLMIlbSarsSagr2oyw 9, 9Htu( j1mn Jtve6er r1s7it)y ,
pBuEbrtlIiCshC1eod ll bly n
number 1 1998
B MGrawpsfninmio aICICuG pSletmftocna o 51 4 Ms Yes Couplet
GuMlbSarsSag 旬 2ow 9, 9HUu(mUntve6er r1s7lt)y ,
C Grammatica Linguae
Sinensis
number 3
14 3 Ms No No
GLMilbSarsSagr2oyw 9, 9HUu(m1nJt6veer r1s7lt)y ,
number 4
o Grammalica Sinicae Krakow 77 4 Ms Yes Mentzel
Linguae Universalis
JLMaIgbs IreaSlrlm yo,n1snnkva 120031,
nItsIeC lfgcraomvemrs ar
the fourth
chapter.
E C1a ν is Sinica 1.Kr 泌 的 W 266 5 恥 15 . Yes Mentzel Tushee lfgcmomvernrs ar
JLMaIgb s.1reaSlriIyon ,nlsnnkva l24 031,
2. Berlin National
LKDIuIbClrZ taurrA yb,ePSFIrotezlu.,s2Ms 7 S
the fourth
chapter
F Grammalica Lil1guae cRoolmleect,Iponn vate
74 3 Ms Yes Couplet
Sinicae
G Grammalica Lil1gz 悶 e
Sinensis
dM oCs fQZmUS CRRZak
個 mOMEphMmaml9t2 EU4 凹 M1 叮
u1ap ay f
d h
21 3 如 I s. No No
awt 甘 ro1bnugtleyd to
Intorcetta by
P 且 ster.
H Grammalica Lingz/Ge Historical Diocesan 21 3 Ms. Yes No
Sil1el1sis
Archive of
CVfaa1sgruaecvmoaunloe0L ,3Fb1 ounstdao 41,
T3Ehis ancdowpy TIthtears I
annotations
by Martini
1 Grammatica Lingz/Ge 1. Boston Public 15 3 Printed No No
Sinensis
LE Ib6r9a6ryT, c3o4lR l s f
TAto hpvtpove1en.ndIoel d 1o,s f
2. Moscow National Relations
LIVi b- 中 rapry,2c?oll MK, (1696)

LlIisa M. Patcmicò I Mart ino Martini and thc First Grammar of Mandarin C hil、 esc 263
Bibliography
1 . Classical Works
Archivul1l Romanum Societatis Jesu (ARSI), Rome. Hi st. Soc. 23 (Diaries 1610-1655), f. 90
ARSI, ROl1le. Jap. Sin. 134, f. 343, n. 16
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266 站 在 學 研 究 第 2 9 卷 第 3 期
衛 匡 國 與 第 一 部 西 方 撰 作 的
中 國 官 話 才 吾 法
陸 商 隱 *
摘 要
義 大 利 耶 穌 會 傳 教 士 衛 匡 國 ( M a rtin o Martini, 1 6 1 4- 1 66 1 ) 是 最 早 向 歐
洲 人 介 紹 中 國 歷 史 與 中 國 地 理 的 西 方 人 , 並 撰 寫 了 第 一 部 中 國 官 話 語 法 。
據 已 故 義 大 利 漢 學 家 白 佐 良 ( G iuli a n o 8 ertucc i o li ) 的 論 點 , 百
元 1 65 1 - 1 652 年 間 , 街 氏 自 中 國 前 往 歐 洲 的 旅 途 中 , 曾 在 巴 達 維 亞 停 留
八 個 月 。 這 段 期 悶 , 他 完 成 了 《 中 國 文 法 》 的 撰 寫 , 並 在 離 閑 之 前 ,
將 《 中 國 文 法 》 的 一 部 手 稿 抄 本 贈 送 荷 蘭 醫 學 家 克 萊 耶 ( Andreas
Cleyer,
1634-1 697/98 ) 0 1 689 年 , 克 萊 耶 把 手 稿 寄 給 了 一 位 德 國 醫 師 門 澤 爾
(Christian Mentzel, 1622-1 70 1 ) 0 1 7 1 6 年 , 德 國 漢 學 家 巴 耶 ( T. S. Bayer,
1 694 -1 738 ) 抄 寫 存 藏 於 柏 林 圖 書 館 衷 的 手 稿 。 但 此 後 , 該 原 稿 卻 遺 失 了 。
筆 者 透 過 得 f 氏 郵 件 的 詳 細 分 析 、 古 代 善 本 總 目 及 藏 書 家 手 冊 的 探 究 , 又 在
法 國 和 義 大 利 另 外 發 現 了 兩 部 抄 本 , 這 兩 部 文 法 的 標 題 皆 為 : { 中 國 語 文 文 法 》 。
經 過 進 一 步 的 研 究 , 筆 者 發 現 衛 氏 的 《 中 國 語 文 文 法 ~, 已 經 收 錄 在 出
版 於 1 696 年 泰 夫 諾 ( M. Thévenot' s ) 的 文 集 《 旅 行 奇 集 》 中 。 綜 上 , 得 以
證 實 街 匡 圓 的 文 法 應 是 有 史 以 來 第 一 部 撰 寫 、 出 版 的 中 國 官 話 語 法 。 本 文 藉
由 手 抄 本 和 出 版 版 本 的 分 析 比 較 , 試 從 《 中 國 文 法 》 初 稿 、 經 過 修 訂 並 加 入
注 釋 的 《 中 國 語 文 文 法 ~ , 追 溯 衛 匡 國 譜 法 的 流 傳 路 徑 。
關 鍵 詞 : 官 話 、 文 法 、 耶 穌 會 士 、 衛 匡 國 、 手 稿
2010 年 9 月 17 日 收 柄 , 2011 年 5 月 1 7 口 修 訂 完 成 . 2 011 年 7 月 28 日 通 過 刊 登 .
* 作 者 Il~H 荷 隱 ( Lui sa M. P a temi cò ) 為 羅 馬 智 慧 大 學 似 方 學 院 博 土 後 研 究 .