In the 17th century the Jesuits in China contributed a lot of time in studying and translating Confucian works to support their missionaries. Among their early translations in Latin, Confucius Sinarum Philosophus (1687, Paris) is regarded as the most famous work with a far-reaching influence in the Enlightenment. This work does not only comprise a long preface introducing the polynary Chinese culture as concourse of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, but also publishes the complete Latin translations of Daxue, Zhongyong & Lunyu, not to mention the detailed images and interpretation of the 64 Divinatory Symbols from Yijing and the very first portrait of Confucius in Europe as far as we know. The chronological tables of Chinese history added in this book also gave a strong impact to the western intellectuals' belief in the Bible and led immediately to the vehement discussions and self-reflection in their writings. Based on the preface and the Confucius' portrait from Confucius Sinarum Philosophus, this paper presents the Jesuits' understanding of Confucianism in the 17th century and the culture image of China associated with it, which was constructed by the Jesuits in Europe.
