The Earliest Transmission of Aristotle’s De anima in China in Lingyan lishao of Francesco Sambiasi S.J.

Abstract

Western psychology, as introduced by Aristotle’s De anima in China, can be traced back to Lingyan lishao (Short Treatise on Matters Pertaining to the Soul), written by the Italian Jesuit Francesco Sambiasi (1582–1649) in 1624 in China. The aim of this article is to figure out the most important characteristics of Lingyan lishao by analyzing some fundamental metaphysical concepts which Sambiasi used to describe the soul and shed light on the question of how Sambiasi used the Aristotelian hylomorphic framework and the Coimbra Commentaries to rewrite Western psychology in Chinese. The first part provides a brief introduction of the sources which Sambiasi used in his Lingyan lishao. The second part considers immortality and the essence of the soul, and the capacities or faculties of the soul will be treated in the third part. Finally, in the fourth part, the transcendental goal of the soul will be discussed.