Manichaeism
/ˌmænɪˈkiːɪzəm/(亦作Manicheism)
noun
mass noun
1- a dualistic religious system with Christian, Gnostic, and pagan elements, founded in Persia in the 3rd century by Manes (c. 216-c. 276). The system was based on a supposed primeval conflict between light and darkness. It spread widely in the Roman Empire and in Asia, and survived in what is now China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region until the 13th century.摩尼教（摩尼［约216-约276］于公元3世纪在波斯创立的二元宗教, 它融合了基督教、诺斯替教以及一些异教的成分, 它的理论基础是设想中的远古时光明和黑暗之间的斗争; 该教在罗马帝国和亚洲广为传播, 并在现为中国新疆维吾尔自治区之地一直留存到13世纪）。
1.1
- religious or philosophical dualism（宗教或哲学的）二元论。
词源
early 17th cent.: from late Latin Manichaeus （from the name Manes： see above） + -ISM.