Matteo Ricci is regarded as one of the Westerners most deeply versed in Chinese culture. In order to fit in with China's many Buddhists, he shaved his own head. He was also a gifted linguist, and had a photographic memory which enabled him to memorize Chinese classics such as the Four Books. To general admiration, he was able to recite them fluently both forwards and backwards.
利馬竇被視為最深入中國文化的西方人士之一，他看到廣大的佛教徒，為了融合其中，也剃光自己頭髮；他還是語言天才，具「照相機似的記憶力」，能背誦中國經典《四書》，而最為人樂道的是，他真的能「倒背」如流。