figurism

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noun

An intellectual movement of Jesuit missionaries at the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, whose participants viewed the I Ching as a prophetic book containing the mysteries of Christianity, and prioritized working with the Qing Emperor (rather than with the Chinese literati) as a way of promoting Christianity in China.

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Meanings

nounfigurism (uncountable)
  1. historicaluncountableChristianityAn intellectual movement of Jesuit missionaries at the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, whose participants viewed the I Ching as a prophetic book containing the mysteries of Christianity, and prioritized working with the Qing Emperor (rather than with the Chinese literati) as a way of promoting Christianity in China.

Origin

From figure + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 索隱派 /索隐派
  • 索隱派 /索隐派 (suǒyǐnpài)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

figurism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figurism

MLA

“figurism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figurism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “figurism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figurism.

Source: figurism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.