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The four great inventions (四大发明)

In ChineseWhenWho and how
Papermaking造纸术 zàozhǐshùHan dynasty, about AD 105蔡伦 (Cài Lún) made paper from bark, hemp and rags
The compass指南针 zhǐnánzhēnSong dynasty, 11th centuryA magnetised needle, first written up by 沈括 (Shěn Kuò)
Gunpowder火药 huǒyàoTang dynasty, 9th centuryFound by alchemists looking for a potion of long life
Printing印刷术 yìnshuāshùTang woodblocks; Song movable type, about 1040毕升 (Bì Shēng) carved movable type in clay

The four great inventions

  1. sì四dà大fā发míng明

    the Four Great Inventions (of ancient China)

  2. zào造zhǐ纸shù术

    papermaking (technique)

  3. zhǐ指nán南zhēn针

    compass

  4. huǒ火yào药

    gunpowder

  5. yìn印shuā刷shù术

    printing (technique)

  6. huó活zì字yìn印shuā刷

    movable type printing

  7. sī司nán南

    ancient south-pointing compass

  8. luó罗pán盘

    compass

Things China gave the world

  1. sī丝chóu绸

    silk; silk cloth

  2. cí瓷qì器

    porcelain; chinaware

  3. chá茶

    tea

  4. kuài筷zi子

    chopsticks

  5. dòu豆fu腐

    tofu; bean curd

  6. fēng风zheng筝

    kite

  7. yǔ雨sǎn伞

    umbrella

  8. zhǐ纸bì币

    paper money; banknote

  9. yān烟huā花

    fireworks

  10. suàn算pán盘

    abacus

  11. qī漆qì器

    lacquerware

  12. dú独lún轮chē车

    wheelbarrow

Science and war

  1. dì地dòng动yí仪

    seismograph (esp. Zhang Heng's)

  2. hún浑tiān天yí仪

    armillary sphere

  3. lì历fǎ法

    calendar system

  4. èr二shí十sì四jié节qì气

    the 24 solar terms (of the Chinese calendar)

  5. yuán圆zhōu周lǜ率

    pi (ratio of circumference to diameter)

  6. zhù铸tiě铁

    cast iron

  7. nǔ弩

    crossbow

  8. mǎ马dèng镫

    stirrup

  9. huǒ火jiàn箭

    rocket

Inventors and their books

  1. cài蔡lún伦

    Cai Lun (Han dynasty inventor of papermaking)

  2. bì毕shēng升

    Bi Sheng (c. 990-1051), inventor of movable type

  3. zhāng张héng衡

    Zhang Heng (78-139), Han dynasty astronomer and inventor

  4. zǔ祖chōng冲zhī之

    Zu Chongzhi (429-500), mathematician and astronomer

  5. shěn沈kuò括

    Shen Kuo (Song dynasty scientist)

  6. lǔ鲁bān班

    Lu Ban (legendary master carpenter of ancient China)

  7. lǐ李shí时zhēn珍

    Li Shizhen (1518-1593), author of the Compendium of Materia Medica

  8. běn本cǎo草gāng纲mù目

    Compendium of Materia Medica (Ming dynasty pharmacopoeia by Li Shizhen)

  9. sūn孙zǐ子bīng兵fǎ法

    The Art of War (by Sunzi)

Great works

  1. cháng长chéng城

    the Great Wall

  2. dà大yùn运hé河

    Grand Canal (from Beijing to Hangzhou)

  3. dū都jiāng江yàn堰

    Dujiangyan (ancient irrigation system and city in Sichuan)

  4. sī丝chóu绸zhī之lù路

    the Silk Road

Games and medicine

  1. xiàng象qí棋

    Chinese chess

  2. wéi围qí棋

    go (board game); weiqi

  3. má麻jiàng将

    mahjong

  4. cù蹴jū鞠

    cuju (ancient Chinese football)

  5. zhēn针jiǔ灸

    acupuncture; acupuncture and moxibustion

  6. zhōng中yī医

    traditional Chinese medicine

The new four inventions

  1. gāo高tiě铁

    high-speed rail; bullet train

  2. yí移dòng动zhī支fù付

    mobile payment

  3. gòng共xiǎng享dān单chē车

    shared bike; bike-sharing

  4. wǎng网gòu购

    to shop online

  5. zhī支fù付bǎo宝

    Alipay

Talking about inventions

  1. fā发míng明

    invention

  2. fā发míng明jiā家

    inventor

  3. kē科jì技

    science and technology

  4. gǔ古dài代

    ancient times; antiquity

What are the four great inventions of China?

四大发明 (sì dà fāmíng): papermaking 造纸术 (zàozhǐshù), the compass 指南针 (zhǐnánzhēn), gunpowder 火药 (huǒyào) and printing 印刷术 (yìnshuāshù). The name was given in the 19th century by Western scholars and taken up in China, where every child learns it at school.

Who invented paper in China?

蔡伦 (Cài Lún), a court official of the Han dynasty, who around 105 made paper from tree bark, hemp, rags and old fishing nets and presented it to the emperor. Rougher paper had been made in China for two centuries before him; his made it cheap and good enough to write on.

What did ancient China invent besides the four great inventions?

Silk 丝绸 (sīchóu), porcelain 瓷器 (cíqì), the kite 风筝 (fēngzheng), paper money 纸币 (zhǐbì) in the Song dynasty, cast iron 铸铁 (zhùtiě), the crossbow 弩 (nǔ), the wheelbarrow 独轮车 (dúlúnchē), fireworks 烟花 (yānhuā), the abacus 算盘 (suànpán) and 张衡’s seismoscope 地动仪 (dìdòngyí) of 132, which showed which direction an earthquake came from.

What are China’s new four great inventions?

新四大发明 (xīn sì dà fāmíng): high-speed rail 高铁 (gāotiě), mobile payment 移动支付 (yídòng zhīfù), shared bikes 共享单车 (gòngxiǎng dānchē) and online shopping 网购 (wǎnggòu). Young people from twenty countries named them in a 2017 survey; China did not invent them first, but made them part of everyday life.

Did China invent football?

An early form of it. 蹴鞠 (cùjū), kicking a ball into a net, was played from the Warring States period and was popular at the Song court, and FIFA calls it the earliest form of football it has evidence for. Today football is 足球 (zúqiú).

How do you say invention in Chinese?

发明 (fāmíng) is both to invent and an invention, and an inventor is a 发明家 (fāmíngjiā). 中国人发明了纸 (Zhōngguó rén fāmíng le zhǐ) means the Chinese invented paper.

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More on Chinese history

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; dates and makers from Wikipedia’s Four Great Inventions and List of Chinese inventions.