Introduction

This book provides the first English translation of Giulio Aleni’s 1628 Wanwu Zhenyuan 萬物真原 (‘The True Source of the Myriad Things’). The introduction situates this work within the broader context of Aleni’s life and missionary activities, followed by a discussion of its textual history, sources, and philosophical argument. We highlight Aleni’s commitment to reason as the prime basis for intercultural dialogue and his creative polemical engagement with native Chinese philosophical (especially Neo-Confucian) thought.