Abstract
The first Jesuits in late-Ming China translated Deus into t'ien-chu, a new term for Lord of Heaven. For the convenience and the efficacy of preaching, they push even further to interpret Confucianism by regarding shang-ti and t'ien in the Chinese classics as t'ien-chu. Such an accommodation between Christianity and Confucianism attracts quite a few literati becoming converts. However, the Rite Controversy makes the attempt failed. This paper tries to study how the translation and the interpretation of Deus become one of the focuses of the Rite Controversy. The pro and con attitude of Chinese literati toward the term debate will also be discussed.