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Mathematical Treasure: Treatise on Geometry by Matteo Ricci and Li Zhizao

Author(s): 
Amy Ackerberg-Hastings (MAA Convergence)

The Italian Jesuit missionary and mathematician, Matteo Ricci (1552–1610), dictated Yuan rong jiao yi (Treatise on Geometry) to Li Zhizao (1565–1630) in 1608. Li was a high-ranking Chinese official who studied with Ricci but also corrected Ricci’s language and mathematics. This copy of their short treatise, which contained 18 propositions on the sphere and geometrical shapes and drew on Clavius’ commentary on Sacrobosco, was printed in Guangdong Province in 1847. A few representative pages are shown below.

Page from the 1847 printing of Matteo Ricci's and Li Zhizao's Yuan rong jiao yi.

Pages from the 1847 printing of Matteo Ricci's and Li Zhizao's Yuan rong jiao yi.

Pages from the 1847 printing of Matteo Ricci's and Li Zhizao's Yuan rong jiao yi.

The manuscript featured above is held by the National Central Library of Taiwan and can be viewed in entirety via the World Digital Library.

Index to Mathematical Treasures

Amy Ackerberg-Hastings (MAA Convergence), "Mathematical Treasure: Treatise on Geometry by Matteo Ricci and Li Zhizao," Convergence (August 2022)