Manuel Dias the Younger (1574– 4 March 1659)
[. ] was a
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
Jesuit missionary
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, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders = ...
.
Name
Manuel Dias the Younger ( la, Junior) acquired his epithet to distinguish him from
Manuel Dias the Elder (–1639). He is also known as Emanuel or Emmanuel Diaz. His name was
sinified as Yang Manuo (), and he was also referred to by his
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...
Yanxi (演西).
Life
Dias arrived in China in 1610, reaching Beijing in 1613. He introduced the
telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observ ...
into
China just a few years after it had been developed in the Netherlands (1608). The telescope was first mentioned in his ''Tian Wen Lüe'' (''Explicatio Sphaerae Coelestis'') in 1615.
[Needham, Volume 3, 444.] In the ''Tian Wen Lüe'' he presented the latest European
astronomical
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxi ...
knowledge in the form of questions and answers. The book was studied and published until the 19th century.
See also
*
Wenceslas Pantaleon Kirwitzer
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
* Liam Matthew Brockey, "Journey to the East: the Jesuit mission to China, 1579–1724", Harvard University Press, 2007,
* Joseph Needham, "Chinese astronomy and the Jesuit mission: an encounter of cultures", China Society, 1958
* Francisco Rodrigues, "Jesuitas portugueses astrónomos na China, 1583–1805", Tipografia Porto Medico, 1925
* Joseph Needham, Ling Wang, "Science and Civilisation in China",
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dias, Manuel, Younger
1574 births
1659 deaths
People from Castelo Branco, Portugal
17th-century Portuguese Jesuits
Portuguese expatriates in China
Portuguese explorers
Astronomy in China
Jesuit missionaries in China
16th-century astronomers
Portuguese Roman Catholic missionaries
Roman Catholic missionaries in China
Jesuit missionaries
Jesuit scientists