Jean-Joseph-Marie Amiot (Qian Deming 銭徳明, 1718-1793), a French Jesuit active in China, made many reports about the Manchu language. These reports exerted great influence not only on the European intellectuals of the eighteenth century, but also on the French orientalists of the nineteenth century. This article mainly focuses on Amiot’s Éloge de la ville de Moukden et de ses environs: poème (1770), Hymne mantchou chanté à l’occasion de la conquête du Jin-chuan (1779), “Grammaire Tartare-Mantchou” (1788), and Dictionnaire Tartare-Mantchou-François (1789-1790), for the purpose of 1) discussing their relation to the intellectual ideas of eighteenth century France and 2) comparing Amiot’s writings with those of other Jesuits. Amiot regards the Manchu language as the key to the vast “labyrinth” of Chinese classics, and encourages all “savants” of the “republic of letters” in Europe to learn Manchu. He also tries to demonstrate how easy the language would be for beginners, often explaining Manchu pronunciation and grammar in terms of the French model of language learning. Moreover, Amiot argues that Manchu is a “clear” language likening it to French, the “clear” and common language of Europe at that time. He also maintains that Manchu is as “perfect” as the European languages. Views like these were largely based on Amiot’s trust in the Qing Dynasty’s achievements in its project to reform the Manchu language, which reached its pinnacle with the completion of Yuzhi zending Qingwejian (御製増訂清文鑑, 1771). He also refers to the body of Qing Dynasty officials who worked on the translation of Chinese books into the Manchu as an “Academy,” likens it to such language academies of Europe as the Académie Française, and regards it as the “republic of letters” which enjoys Manchu as its common language. It is in this way that Amiot attempts to appeal to a common concern within Europe’s “republic of letters” at that time.