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Designer, founder
Sabatino de Ursis was descendent of a famous family in Naples. Afther he entered the Society of Jesus he departed for China and arrived in 1607 in order to help Matteo Ricci with astronomical research. He also worked together with Xú Guāngqĭ and Matteo Ricci on the translation of Euclid's Elements into Chinese. In Macau, de Ursis played an important role in the hot tempered discussion about a Chinese terminology of Christian words. At the end and after the discussions of several years, the Jesuits decided in favor of the accommodation, i.e. it was permitted to use Chinese names. Sabatino de Ursis introduced the European pharmacy and the distillation of essences in China. He was involved in the reform of the Chinese calendar, which was planned and started under the guidance of the Chinese state minister (Paulus) Xu Guangqi (1562-1633) with the help of the Jesuits. He translated orally a work by Agostino Ramelli on hydraulic mechanisms, dated 1612, which was put into Chinese by Xú Guāngqĭ. The book was published under the name Tàixī shuǐfǎ, (Hydraulic machinery of the West). He wrote also: Chien-p’ing-i-shuo (On the armillary sphere), dated 1611; Piao-tu shuo (On geometrical Square) dated 1614. All these three book was published in Peking in 1629 with the title T’ien-hsuen chu-han (First collection of the doctrine of the sky). Who-is-Who in MMS, Jesuit, astronomy, hydraulic mechanisms, scholar, treatise writer
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variant spelling:
De Ursis, Sabatino
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Curriculum vitae
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* 1575
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Lecce (LE)
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born
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1584 - 1586
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Roma
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He studied at the Collegio Romano in Rome
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06.11.1597
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He entered the Society of Jesus
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25.03.1602
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Departure for China
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1607
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Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) ordered him to come to Beijing because of his good knowledge in astronomy and hydraulic.
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1612
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He translated a work of Agostino Ramelli on hydraulic mechanisms under the name "Tàixī shuǐfǎ" (Hydraulic machinery of the West).
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† 03.05.1620
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Macao (China)
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died
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