100 must-read books for college students

Chapter 26 Coordinates in the History of Chinese Science

Chapter 25 Coordinates in the History of Chinese Science: "Mengxi Bi Tan"

"Mengxi Bi Tan" not only records Shen Kuo's own scientific research results, but also describes the scientific development and production technology at that time.
Such as Wei Pu's calendar and arithmetic, Bi NC036's movable type printing, Sun's theory of the cause of the rainbow, and the methods of steel and copper smelting
wait, do
A scientific and detailed introduction, reflecting the latest level of science and technology at that time.Some of them have now become the only reliable

Material.In his book "History of Science in China", the famous professor of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Yue Lise, used a lot of space to introduce in detail
"Mengxi Bi Tan", and called it "the coordinates in the history of Chinese science".This great work has naturally been favored by Chinese and foreign scholars.

respected.

Favorite Science Dream Creek Realizes Dreams

This old man is Shen Kuo, a famous scientist and politician in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Shen Kuo (1031~1095), born in Qiantang (now Hangzhou), was a Jinshi in the first year of Zhiping (1064) of the Northern Song Dynasty.
He was appointed as the Tianjian Supervisor for the promotion of literature and calendar, the Military Weapons Supervisor responsible for the manufacture of weapons, the Third Division Envoy responsible for the national finance, and responsible for border administration.
Knowing Yanzhou (now Yan'an, Shaanxi) for military affairs and defense, and conciliating envoys for the economic strategy of Yanyan Road,

He also went to the Liao Kingdom and inspected places many times

He was involved in government affairs, and was involved in farmland and water conservancy. Later, he was convicted of border affairs and was demoted.He is erudite and talented, and he is a generation of scholars. He is known in history as: "Educated and good at
Literature, in astronomy, local chronicles, legal calendar, music, medicine, divination, everything is counted, and all of them have been discussed. "("Song History" Biography)
This book is composed of the essence of his life knowledge and experience.

In his later years, he retired to the outskirts of Runzhou (now Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province), and he named his manor Mengxi Garden.The most important work in his life, "

"Mengxi Bi Tan" and so on were completed in Mengxi Garden.

The original version of "Mengxi Bi Tan" was 30 volumes, and the number may be more, but it has long been lost.The existing 26 volumes date back to the early Southern Song Dynasty at the latest.
It was also popular years ago. The two volumes of Subi Tan and the first volume of Subi Tan are supplementary drafts written after the completion of this book. "repair
"Bi Tan" was compiled by the author or later generations, and "Continued Bi Tan" was edited and supplemented by later generations.Compiled the original book together with supplements and sequels into a volume, the first to be published
It is now a reprint of "Barnyard Sea" engraved by Shang Jun in Kuaiji during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.now originally
Mr. Hu Daojing from Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House

The corrected version is the most popular.Mr. Hu corrected many mistakes in the original book, added a lot of annotations and explanations, and added
Articles are numbered sequentially and counted as 609 articles, which makes reading and searching more convenient.

Encyclopedias affect the world

This work is divided into stories, dialectics, rhythm, image and number, personnel affairs, government affairs, wit, arts and literature, calligraphy and painting, skills, utensils, and gods.
There are 17 items including oddities, strange things, fallacies, ridicules, magazines, and drug discussions.

The content of science and technology discussed in the book is extremely extensive. According to the statistics of Dr. Joseph Needham, a British expert in the history of Chinese science and technology, the book
There are 207 articles on science and technology, accounting for more than one-third of the entire book.Content includes astronomy, calendar, mathematics, geology

, geography, maps, meteorology, physics, chemistry, biology, agriculture, medicine, printing, machinery, water conservancy, construction, mining and metallurgy

and other branches.

In terms of astronomy, there are records of the author's improvement of armillary spheres, floating leaks, and guibiao, which pioneered the reform of astronomical instruments in the Song and Yuan dynasties
.It is also recorded that the author used the improved armillary sphere to observe the Polaris continuously for 3 months, drew more than 200 star maps, and obtained
Concluded that Polaris is more than three degrees away from the celestial pole; using the improved floating leak to carry out measurements for more than 10 years, the first time from the theoretical

The above deduced the conclusion that the length of the winter solstice is "more than a hundred quarters", and the length of the summer solstice is "less than a hundred quarters".Shen Kuo proposed the sun for the first time

Department of orbit ellipse theory, 550 years earlier than the West.In physics, he discovered the existence of geomagnetic declination, which is larger than the European

400 years earlier.

Shen Kuo proposed the combination of the solar calendar and the lunar calendar for the first time in the astronomical calendar; he clearly pointed out that the moon itself does not emit light, and eclipses are also

A correct scientific explanation was made.

In terms of calendar, it describes the beginning and end of the author presided over the compilation of "Fengyuan Calendar", the achievements of Wei Pu, a folk astronomer, and his work in the revision of the calendar.

contribution.It also discusses the density and density of calendars in the past dynasties, as well as the technique of advancing calendars.The "Twelve Qi Calendar" recorded in the book is based on solar terms

The fixed calendar is a pure solar calendar system, which is a fundamental change to the traditional yin and yang calendar, and is the author's first creation. 19th century English

The Shaw calendar used by the National Weather Service is similar.

In terms of mathematics, there are records of the author's first creation of the gap product technique and the confluence technique.Gap product technique is a method to solve stack product problem, which belongs to

The category of summation of higher order arithmetic series.The circling technique is a method of finding the arc length with known bow circle diameter and sagittal height, which belongs to the method of calculating height

subequation problem.These two methods have opened up a new research direction of traditional Chinese mathematics, and have a great impact on the high level of Chinese mathematics in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.
They have developed at a high speed and made great contributions together, so that Japanese mathematician Yoshio Mikami wrote in his book "Characteristics of Chinese Mathematics" that
Praise Shen Kuo: "None of the Japanese mathematicians can compare with Shen Kuo... A character like Shen Kuo can be found in the history of mathematics all over the world."
No, only China has produced this person.It is very appropriate for me to call Shen Kuo a model or ideal figure of Chinese mathematicians

of. ”

In terms of geology, geography, and maps, it is recorded that Yandang Mountain in Zhejiang is "precipitous and dangerous, towering thousands of feet, with dome cliffs and huge valleys", and the Yellow River in the west.

Landform characteristics such as "soil movement and hundreds of feet, standing upright" in the land area indicate that this is caused by the erosion of flowing water.Also described
Among the cliffs of the Taihang Mountains in Hebei, fossils of clam shells are often held in their hands, stretching like belts on the stone walls, so it can be inferred that this is the sea of ​​the past.
Coast, the North China Plain is formed by sediment deposition.It is also described that the author used wood chips, batter and melting wax, and woodcuts to

, making a three-dimensional geographic model and promoting it; there is also the author's "taking two inches and hundreds of miles as the fraction", according to "24 to

Take Bujun County" to draw the state and county map "Shouling Map" in the world.

In terms of physics, it is recorded that the compass was invented by an alchemist (that is, Mr. Feng Shui) by using an iron needle to grind a magnet. At that time, there were four kinds of compass.
The method of use is the water float method, putting on the nail, putting on the lip of the bowl and hanging wire method, and it is pointed out that the compass does not completely point to the south, but often slightly deviates
East, there are two types of compass, the guide and the north.This is an important history of the invention and application of the compass, and the discovery of the Earth's magnetic declination

material.It also describes the author's experiment on spherical mirror imaging.Point out that when a concave mirror illuminates an object, there is a place called "obstacle" (that is, the focus),

Nothing can be seen above this point, and the reverse image of the object is formed outside this point, and the normal image is formed within this point; and the image is formed with a small hole,

Compare it with the waist drum and the scull on the boat to explain the imaging principle of the concave mirror.Point out that a convex mirror only forms a positive image of an object smaller than
It also explained the principle that the ancients cast mirrors, the larger the mirror, the flatter it is, and the smaller it is convex.In addition, there are also descriptions of simulation experiments demonstrating the moon's waxing and waning,
An experiment demonstrating acoustic resonance.Phenomena such as mirages, rainbows, and lightning, as well as light-transmitting mirrors, are also described, and detailed

Explanation.

In terms of chemistry and mining and metallurgy, it is recorded that the hydrometallurgical copper smelting method "Bile Copper Method" invented by the replacement reaction of copper and iron ions, with

And the most advanced steelmaking method in ancient times, steel filling method.It also describes oil, well salt, pond salt, and the cold forging iron armor method of the Qiang people in Qingtang.
.

Shen Kuo was the first person in the history of our country to put forward the name "oil" and to use oil soot to make ink.The following is "Mengxi"

A paragraph about "oil" in "Bi Tan":

"There is oil in the territory of Yanyan (now Yan'an, Fuxian area), and it is said that Gaonu County produces "fat"
"Water", that is to say. Born in the water, sand and stone

The spring water is mixed, and it flows out slowly.The natives (locals) use pheasant tail NC037 (stain oil with pheasant tail feathers)
, is adopted
In the pot (earth pot), it looks like Chun (pure) lacquer.It burns like hemp (hemp stalks), but the smoke is very thick, and all the tents are covered with ink.It is suspected that its smoke is available,
Try sweeping the coal (charcoal ink) to think it is ink, the black light is like lacquer, and the loose ink is not as good as it is, so it is a big deal.Its literacy (marked text) is 'Yanchuan

Stone liquid' who are also.This thing will be popular (widely popular) in the world in the future, and it will be done from the beginning.Covering a lot of oil, born in the ground without limit

, not like pine wood is sometimes exhausted. "

In terms of agronomy and biology, the geographical distribution, ecological characteristics and classification of a few crops, animals and plants are described, and some ancient
Biological research has been carried out to make these extinct creatures known to people.

In terms of water conservancy, it is recorded that the author built weirs in sections of the Bianhe River and measured them section by section. It was measured that starting from Shangshanmen in Bianjing (Kaifeng), through
420 kilometers, to Sizhou (now Sihong, Jiangsu) Huaihe Estuary, the fact that the water level drop is 6495 meters.It is also recorded that there were superb carpentry at that time

When governing the Yellow River, he invented the three-section pressing method of Longmen by coincidence.For Caoqu complex gate, Sukun Causeway and silting method, etc., there are also
described.

In terms of printing technology, it is recorded that in the reign of Qingli (1041-1048) Buyibi NC036

Invention of clay movable type printing, and movable type printing
Brush process.This is the earliest written record about movable type printing.

In terms of architecture, there are records about the deeds of Yu Hao, a famous craftsman, who reinforced the wooden pagoda of Fantian Temple in Hangzhou, and his architectural monograph "

Fragments of Wood Sutra. "The Wooden Classic" has long been lost, and people only know this important work through this, and understand a part of its content.

In terms of medicine, it describes the anatomy and physiology of the human body, and expounds the operation process of food, medicine, and air after they enter the human body.

, and the principles of human metabolism.It also describes the characteristics, nature, flavor, collection and efficacy of Dali plants and mineral medicines, and
and principles of drug formulation.

For the extremely rich scientific content described in the whole book, it is of course impossible to list them one by one.Shen Kuo summed up his life experience

和科
This book is composed of valuable content in learning activities and talking with people.The content involves astronomy, calendar, mathematics, physics, chemistry

, biology, geography, medicine, music, history, art and other fields.In addition, the book contains Shen Kuo's important scientific achievements.

fruit.

Among the innumerable notebook novels in Chinese history, the one with the highest popularity, the greatest influence, and the widest spread is none other than "Mengxi"

Written talk" book.It can be said that this book reflects the level of Chinese science and technology in the 11th century and is a summary of the scientific and technological achievements of the Northern Song Dynasty.
.Many of these achievements were in the leading position in the field of science and technology in the world at that time.Due to Shen Kuo's achievements in scientific research
Made great achievements, the British science historian Joseph Needham called it "the most outstanding figure in the entire history of Chinese science", "Mengxi Bi"
Talk" is known as "the coordinates in the history of Chinese science".Therefore, this book is regarded as a milestone classic in the history of Chinese science and technology.
, has been highly valued by Chinese and foreign scholars.

(End of this chapter)