The Chinese title of this work is Shǐjì 史記, whose compilation was completed by the Hàn 漢 Dynasty historian Sīmǎ Qiān 司馬遷 (ca. 145 - ca. 86 BC). The chapter in question, Fēngchánshū 封禪書, deal with Chinese imperial rituals known as fēng 封 and chán 禪, which were conducted at Mount Tài (泰山 Tàishān).

Huò Qù-Bìng 霍去病 (140 - ca. 117 BC) was a Chinese general aligned with the Hàn 漢 Dynasty who led a campaign into the Gobi Desert against the nomadic confederation known as the Xiōngnú 匈奴. A biography is included in the Book of Hàn 漢書 (Hànshū).

The Book of Hàn 漢書 (Hànshū) is a history of the Former Hàn 漢 Dynasty (前漢 Qiánhàn), the compilation of which was finished in 111 CE. Bān Gù 班固 (32 - 92 AD), an Eastern Hàn politician, is regarded as its main author.

Yuánshòu 元狩 is the fourth imperial era of Emperor Wǔ 武 (156 - 87 BC, r. 141 - 87 BC), seventh emperor of the Hàn 漢 Dynasty (more acurately, the Western Hàn 西漢 Xīhàn, or the Former Hàn 前漢 Qiánhàn). The first year of Yuánshòu 元狩 would be roughly equal to 122 BC.

Prince Xiūtú 休屠王 Xiūtú Wáng, a ruler allied with, or subservient to, the Xiōngnú 匈奴. As such, he was hostile to the Chinese Hàn 漢 empire, and in his military campaign of Huò Qù-Bìng 霍去病 was pitted against him (among other local potentates, perhaps). Normally 王 wáng would be translated as “king,” but since the Xiōngnú 匈奴 have a ruler that was considered superior to the position held by Xiūtú, we opted for “prince.”

Jīn Mìdī 金日磾 (134 - 86 BC), was the heir to Prince Xiūtú 休屠王 in the Xiōngnú 匈奴 constellation. He was captured by the Chinese general Huò Qù-Bìng 霍去病 during the aforementioned campaign, in which Prince Xiūtú 休屠王 was killed.

Rú Chún 如淳 was a scholar affiliated with the state of Cáo Wèi 曹魏 (220 AD - 266) during the Three Kingdoms Period. He left annotations to the Book of Hàn.

Yán Shī-Gǔ 顔師古 (581 - 645) was a prominent author and scholar who was active during the Suí 隋 and 唐 Táng Dynasties. One of the works that he managed to complete in his lifetime was an authoritative collection to annotations to the Book of Hàn.

The Hàn Wǔ Stories, or Hàn Wǔ Gùshì 漢武故事, is a collection of stories, which was traditionally attributed to Bān Gù 班固 (32 - 92 AD), the same figure who is considered the main compiler of the Book of Hàn 漢書. Contemporary scholarship, however, maintains that the Hàn Wǔ Stories were authored at the time of the Three Kingdoms (220 - 280 AD).

Hùnyé 昆耶 was a Xiōngnú 匈奴 nobleman who, apparently, decided to turn on his ally or kinsman, Prince Xiūtú 休屠王, and decided to surrender to the Chinese military led by the aforementioned general Huò Qù-Bìng 霍去病.

The Gānquán Palace, or the Gānquán Gōng 甘泉宮, is a palace that belonged to the Chinese Hàn 漢 empire. Thus the “men of gold” worshipped by the Xiōngnú 匈奴 were transported and placed within that palace.

Zhàng 丈 is a measure of length, one zhàng 丈 would be a little over 3 metres.

“Celestial deity” is the translation of the term in Chinese, which is 天神. Note that it is similar to the term “Heavenly Lord,” which is 天主.

“This teaching we are currently dealing with” here refers to the Heavenly Teaching, i.e. Roman Catholicism.

This remark must be considered at least slightly sarcastic. The point is that the current “barbarians” carry out rites that are very similar to those performed by “barbarians” many centuries ago.

The Yòuxián Wáng 右賢王, literally the “Wise Prince of the Right” (here we translate 王 Wáng as “Prince” rather than as “King,” given that there is a higher position above it, which we shall name in this very footnote), also known as the 右屠耆王 Yòutúqí Wáng, was a royal title in the confederation of the Xiōngnú 匈奴. A very similar title was called Zuǒxián Wáng 左賢王, meaning the “Wise Prince of the Left,” AKA 左屠耆王 Zuǒtúqí Wáng. The holders of both titles would have been, hierarchically speaking, right underneath the supreme ruler of the Xiōngnú 匈奴, whose title was called Chányú 單于, or Shànyú 善于. It appears likely that the author here refers to a text in which such a westward journey by the “Wise Prince of the Right” was reported, but I am unaware of the existence of such a source.

The Zhēndào Zìzhèng 眞道自證 is a Chinese writing authored by a Jesuit in the early 18th century, see footnote 2 in Part 7 of this ongoing translation.

Previously the author already established that Jesus’ life on Earth more or less coincided with Emperor Āi’s rule. (See note 10 in Part 7 of this ongoing translation)

Lièzǐ 列子 is a work thought to be written sometime in the 5th century BC. Its author would be Liè Yǔkòu 列圄寇, who would be respectively addressed as “Master Liè,” i.e. Lièzǐ 列子. This text is generally considered Daoist of nature. It certainly is not considered a work that merits a lot of consideration among orthodox scholars of the (Neo-)Confucian kind!

Shāng 商 here does not refer to the first archaeologically attested state in present-day China, but rather a minor state that existed from the 11th century BC to the late 3rd century BC. Its more usual name would be 宋 Sòng, a name that it shares with a Chinese Dynasty which was established in the later half of the 10th century AD. Suffice it to say that the state in question should not confused with that later dynasty, either!

For the “Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors” part (三皇五帝) see this article on Wikipedia. The “Three Kings” (三王) mentioned would be founders of the Xià 夏 (the first dynasty in Chinese histiography), 商 Shāng (the dynasty after the period when Xià 夏 supposedly existed, known for its oracle bones, a different political entity than the Shāng 商 referred to in footnote 20), and Zhōu 周 (the dynasty usually considered the successor state of the aforementioned Shāng 商, generally considered the summit of good governance in (Neo-)Confucian historiography and ideology.

The speaker in question, Confucius, is certainly not a Buddhist, and therefore this part is to be translated into the irrealis mood!

This quotation can indeed be found in Confucius’ Analects, or Lúnyǔ 論語. The very same quotation was mentioned by the author’s interlocutor as an expression of praise by the same Confucius afforded to another “holy man,” namely an unnamed “holy man in the West,” found in the Lièzǐ 列子. Therefore, if Confucius indeed said this of the “holy man in the West,” he would consider this “holy man in the West” as holy as Emperor Yáo 堯.

Obviously, the author here argues that there is an inherent contradiction between the fragment of the Lúnyǔ 論語, which was (and is) readily accepted as a Confucian source, as quoted by the author, and the part of Lièzǐ 列子 previously quoted by his conversation partner: Emperor Yáo 堯 is one of the Five Emperors 五帝.

“Their learning” 其學 here refers to the Heavenly Learning, i.e. Roman Catholicism.

“Placing the place of the Heavenly Lord” 設天主位 may mean, in my opinion, the founding of a church, or a community of Catholic believers, which brings forth new (candidate) clergymen, or “students” or “pupils,” which, I believe, are meant by the two characters 學者, which follow this expression.

I wonder if this garment would be some kind of short scapula used in one or some particular ordination rites?

I have decided to interpret 陳八敎 as “to vow adherence to eight instructions,” since that would make sense in the context of initiation or ordination (since these acts are compared with Buddhist ordination rites later on, I believe that we are dealing with some sort of Catholic or Jesuit ordination here). 陳 often has the meaning of “to display,” “to promote,” or “to put forth,” which would come closest to the meaning of “vowing adherence” (I admit that my translation may be shot in the dark, but I cannot see it make sense any other way). I do not know what 八敎, or “eight instructions,” would entail. If anyone familiar with Catholic teaching or Jesuit ordination rituals could shed light on the meaning of the “eight instructions/doctrines/teachings” 八敎 I would be eager to know!

Being inducted into the Jesuit order, or completing the Jesuit formation, seems not to be accompanied with adopting a new “scholarly” name, but perhaps the Jesuits in China did so, since it would resonate well with the local intellectual and literary circles, in which adopting a pen name would be a natural thing to do?

燃臂 ránbì, Korean yŏnbi, literally means “burning the forearm.” It refers to a Buddhist ordination ritual in which newly inducted monks have their forearms touched by a burning incense stick to leave a permanent mark.

懺悔 chànhuǐ, Korean ch'amhoe, means “confession of sins.” I suppose this would not be a ritual in which only Buddhist monks and nuns would participate, unlike the other two named here, namely “burning the forearm” and “ritual washing.”

灌頂 guàndǐng, Korean gwanjŏng, “sprinkling of the head,” is the ritual application of water by a Buddhist master to his disciple’s head to indicate, or formalize, the latter’s advancement in Buddhist knowledge. Having searched this term on the internet, this ritual seems to be particularly popular (if not only used) within the esoteric kind(s) of Buddhism.

聖人 in a (Neo-)Confucian context would more often be translated as “sage(s),” rather than “saint(s).” Since the Confucian “sages” here are contrasted with 聖人 in two major religions, I have decided to opt for the translation “holy men” (“sages” are without exception male in the “orthodox” (Neo-)Confucian tradition).

The Latin term denoting what is translated here as “the vegetative soul” is anima vegetabilis.

The Latin term denoting what is translated here as “the sentient soul” is anima animalis.

The Latin term denoting what is translated here as “the rational soul” is anima rationalis.

A work by Confucian scholar 荀況 Xún Kuàng, or Master Xún 荀子 (i.e. Xúnzǐ) written in the 3rd century BC. Although the Xúnzǐ 荀子 is not usually particularly valued among Neo-Confucianists, due to its controversial descriptions of human nature, the author of this text agrees with the part quoted here.

Zhēn Xī-Shān 眞西山, actually Zhēn Dé-Xiù 眞德秀 (1178 - 1235, Xī-Shān 西山 being his pen name). Chinese philosopher and politician during the Southern Song 南宋 Nán Sòng Dynasty. Apparently, this philosopher was considered authoritative by the Neo-Confucian author of this “dialogue,” and therefore found Xī-Shān 西山’s approval of a statement by Master Xún 荀子, who himself was regarded as a questionable source, to be a strong validation thereof.

Xìnglǐ Dàquán 性理大全 or the Xìnglǐ Dàquán Shū 性理大全書 (which could be translated as “The Great Collection of Works on Human Nature and the Universal Principle”) is a comprehensive collection of Neo-Confucian treatises written in the Southern Song (南宋 Nán Sòng). The collection itself was completed during the reign of the Yǒnglè 永樂 Emperor of the Míng 明 Dynasty (his reign lasted from 1402 - 1424).