First European book with Chinese characters in it

[Lu]

Someone pointed out something interesting to me: the first European book with Chinese characters in it. Here is some information on the book, and most importantly, pictures of the two characters featured. It looks like someone was taught to draw them by someone who was taught to draw them by someone who had seen them without understanding them, and I can't make much of the characters (perhaps that second one has a 手字旁?), but how cool that this exists!

[Demonic_Duck]

First one could conceivably be "美"?

[edelweis]

deleted nonsense, shouldn't post when I'm tired.

[Lu]

First one could conceivably be "美"?

If you ignore the flourishing, yes maybe! I'd been thinking 寿, since it's kinda long and complicated, but not sure. If my Latin was still good enough I could see if the text itself shed any light on it...

[edelweis]

My latin is very rusty, and it doesn't look at all like classical latin, but the first page with the characters explicitly mentions the sky (Coelu(m)) and king (Rex) characters, as well as earth (terra), sea (mare), and "other elements ?".

After thinking about it some more I think there may be 3 characters on this page, one I can't read (possibly supposed to be the sky one), the 2nd 王, and the 3rd one could be 雨 maybe.

The 2nd page mentions the city (urbs) but the character doesn't really look much like 城 eh?

[Lu]

After thinking about it some more I think there may be 3 characters on this page, one I can't read (possibly supposed to be the sky one), the 2nd 王, and the 3rd one could be 雨 maybe.

That makes a lot of sense! Not one but three characters. Perhaps the first one is 太 upside down? Or perhaps there is some significance to how they're all welded together, after all there is a 土 in 王 and if you turn the top one around it could be 大 or 太 or 天. And then only the sea is missing. Or perhaps I'm reading too much it.

The one on the second page doesn't look like 城, I agree. Although the radical could be 土. The little half-moon thingy reminds me of 心.

The book is from the 16th century, so I assume it's medieval Latin (or something close to it).

[Altair]

My Latin is also quite rusty, but here is what I think I can get  (I am sure I have made many errors):

 

P. 200

 

Whereas up to now we have described the government of the Chinese and have shown that they are skilled in Astrology, Philosophy, both as concerns ethics and what is about nature, and have conveyed other state matters, now we will be considered to do what is worthwhile if we spread knowledge about their letters, logic of writing, and schools.  Therefore, what is first pertinent is that, although I can say that there are very few who do not know how to read and write, they nevertheless do not have a fixed order of letters or any special marks (?) for them such as we do.They note down everything with images, which they learn to form over a long time with great labor, for each and every word is portrayed with its own image; so that the Heavens (which in their language they call Guant) in this way (with this one?)[,] the King (whom they call Bontai)(?) with this one [.  And] in the same way, the earth, sea, and other elements are each depicted with their own character: of which they have...

 

P. 203

 

...[ra], in writing, means the same thing in their languages, which however in speech is pronounced with a different word, so that from this (following?) character it can be inferred by what a/the city is designated, although some name the city Leomb, certain name it Fu, and the same thing is spoken by all with other words: and in this way, there is mutual understanding among the Chinas, the Japans, the Lecchians (?), the Taprobanese (?), the Cochinchinas (Vietnamese?) and other neighboring peoples...

[Sinolingua]

From the Chinese version of this book, the three characters should be 穹, 皇 and 城.

中华大帝国史Chinese Version.pdf