Basile de Glemona

Basilio Brollo (known in Chinese as Yeh Ch'ung-hsiao or Yeh Tsunhsiao; March 25, 1648 – July 16, 1704) was a 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic priest known for his missionary work in 17th-century China and the notable compilation of two editions of a Chinese-Latin dictionary.

Life

He was born in Gemona, Italy in March 25, 1648.

Education

He studied under the guidance of his uncle, Don Andrea, the local town teacher, before attending the Jesuit school in Gorizia.

Career

He was ordained a Priest of the Order of Friars Minor in 1674.

Missionary work in China

He followed Bernardino della Chiesa on his voyage to China in 1680 and landed in Canton, China, on August 27, 1684, whereupon he took the Chinese name Yeh Tsun-hsiao and performed various missionary and philanthropic works in China.

His legacy is his five Chinese works:

T’ien-chu-chiao Yao Chu-lüeh (Compendium of Catholic Prayers and Doctrine, 1687) Chien-cheng Shengshih Kuei-i (Confirmation's Notion and Rite, MS, author's preface 1689) Han Tzu Hsi I (a Chinese-Latin dictionary arranged by radicals), MS 1694 Brevis Methodus Confessionis Instituendae