Juan Cobo OP () (ca. 1546–1592) was Spanish Dominican missionary, diplomat, astronomer and sinologist. Cobo was born in Alcázar de San Juan. After becoming a priest of the Dominican order, he traveled to Mexico in 1586 and later to Manila in 1588. He was assigned by King Philip II to bring Christianity to China along with Miguel de Benavides. He translated into Chinese several works by Seneca and the Catechism. He also translated from Chinese into Spanish the work Mingxin baojian (明心寶鑑) compiled by Fan Liben 范立本 in 1393 under the title Espejo rico del claro corázón and published in 1593. Cobo's translation is considered to be "the first translation of a Chinese book into an European vernacular." Cobo also "has the distinction of being the first to introduce European philosophy and science to China, at least in print." He was sent to Japan by the governor of Manila and received by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He died when his boat sank during his return from Japan. See also Juan González de Mendoza (c. 1540–1617), a Spanish bishop in Mexico, whose 1585 book summarizes what the Spanish in the Philippines knew about China as of a few years before Juan Cobo's arrival to the islands. First book of the Spanish Philippines Works Libro chino intitulado Beng Sim Po Cam, que quiere decir Espejo rico del claro corazón o Riquezas y espejo con que se enriquezca y donde se mire el claro y límpido corazón. Traducido en lengua castellana por fray Juan Cobo, de la orden de Santo Domingo. Dirigido al príncipe Don Felipe nuestro Señor (Manila, 1593) Beng Sim Po Cam o Espejo Rico del Claro Corazón. primer libro traducido en lengua castellana por Fr. Juan Cobo, O.P. (c.a. 1592); edición preparada y publicada por Carlos Sanz. Madrid: Lib. General Vict. Suárez, 1959. Catecismo chino Sententiae plures et graves philosophorum etiam gentilium ut Senecae et smilium ex eorum libris excertae et Sinicae reditae. Lingua sinica ad certam revocata methodum quatuor distinctis caracterum ordinibus generalibus, specificis et individualis; seu vocabularium sinensis. Shih-Lu: Apología de la verdadera religión = Testimony of the true religion; con introducciones por Alberto Santamaría, Antonio Domínguez, Fidel Villarroel; editado por Fidel Villarroel. Manila: University of Santo Tomás, 1986. Carta de Juan Cobo del 13 de junio de 1589 a otros religiosos. References Bibliography Innocente Hervás y Buendía, Diccionario histórico, biográfico y bibliográfico de la provincia de Ciudad Real, 1918,