西方早期（1552-1814年間）漢語學習和研究：若干思考

Some remarks on early Western (1552-1814) acquisition and study of Chinese

此研究工作有其學術方面的背景，Timothy Hugh Barrett說：'The study of past sinology as part of the general intellectual history of the Western world is only now getting under way…'（對過去漢學的研究，是西方世界的普通思想史的一部份，它現在正蓄勢待發）。這個看法顯示所謂傳教式漢學（或傳教士的漢學）具有重要的地位。筆者身為聖言會傳教士和漢學家，對此種題目特別感興趣，因此於數年之前即開始以此議題做為學術研究核心，並於天主教輔仁大學推動研究方向，主要目的無非是希望進一步瞭解歐洲與中國的相遇史及其內容。除了本人之外，另有一大批中西當代學者，如張西平、姚小平、Henning Klöter、Mathew Y.Chen與Federico Masini（馬西尼）等學者也注意到傳教士在漢語與漢學方面的努力和重要的研究結果。本論文擬針對當代相關研究之成果做一些回顧與評估。

In this paper the author chronologically deals with the question of Western acquisition and study of Chinese languages, especially of Mandarin and Southern Min. The period under focus here is the stream of years which featured the encounter between the West and China (or the Chinese abroad) from 1552 to 1814. The main body of the article is divided into three parts: The first deals with Spanish missionaries and their acquisition of Southern Min in the Philippines and the southern Chinese province Fujian. In the second part, the author presents the acquisition and studies of Chinese by the Jesuits and other members of various Catholic religious orders. In the third part the author discusses more so called speculative studies of Chinese, especially Chinese characters, in Europe. A particularly salient point of the article is the question of involvement in Chinese languages by Jesuits in China as compared with similar involvement by Spanish missionaries. Did the acquisition of Chinese language begin in mainland China with the Jesuits, or does up to date research overthrow this view? How are we to access the impact of Spanish missionaries in the Philippines, working among the Southern Min Chinese? On the whole, the paper could be taken as a detailed blueprint for further in-depth studies on the subject matter.