雙語科技百科(天文) 第9期:張衡和地動儀
Zhang Heng and the Seismograph
In the Exhibition Hall of the Museum of Chinese History in Beijing，there is a restored model of the first seismograph,which was called Houfeng Didong Yi(lit. an instrument for measuring the seasonal winds and the movements of the Earth) inventor was Zhang Heng，a famous scientist in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
在北京中國歷史博物館的展覽大廳裏，陳列着世界上第一架地動儀的復原模型。這架地動儀的發明者是中國東漢時著名的科學家張衡。Zhang Heng was from Nanyang of Henan Province. He studied diligently，andwas especially fond of astronomy，calendar and mathematics.
張衡，河南南陽人。他勤學好問，博覽羣書，特別愛好天文、曆法和數學，是一位博學多才的科學家。
During the Eastern Han period，earthquakes occurred frequently. Contrary to the popular belief at that time，Zhang Heng maintained that earthquakes were not signs of Heaven’s anger but natural disasters.
東漢時期，地震很活躍。當時的人們不懂科學，以爲地震是鬼神發怒。張衡認爲地震是一種自然災害，As a result of careful observations of earthquakes，he invented a seismograph in the then national capital of Luoyang in 132 AD，which was the world’s first instrument to identify and ascertain the direction of earthquakes.
他根據自己對於地震現象的觀測，於公元132年在京城洛陽製成了“候風地動儀”，這臺儀器成爲世界上第一臺觀測地震方向的儀器。The seismograph was made of fine copper, and was ingeniously constructed. Inside，there was a balanced post and eight rods.
地動儀全部用精銅鑄成，結構非常精細巧妙。儀器內部豎有一根銅柱，周圍有8根杆子。Outside，it was cast with eight dragons on the surface(whose heads pointed in eight diredions-east，south，west, north，southeast, northeast，southwest，and northwest )，and each dragon had a copper ball in the mouth.
儀器表面鑄有八條垂直向下的龍，龍頭分別對準東、南、西、北、東南、東北、西南、西北八個方向，每條龍的嘴裏都含着一個銅球。On the ground below the dragons there were eight copper toads raising their heads and opening their mouths oppo-site the dragons’ mouths. When an earthquake occurred，the balanced post in the direction of the quake and push a rod.
在對着龍嘴的地上，蹲着八個仰着頭、張着嘴的銅蟾賒。當某個方向發生地震時，柱子就倒向那個方向，觸動杆子，儀器上對着那個方向的龍嘴就會張開，The dragon facing that direction would open its mouth，and the ball would fall into the mouth of the toad below, automatically indicating the direction of the day in 138 AD，the dragon in the west expelled its ball.
銅球就會掉進銅蟾蛛的嘴裏，自動報告發生地震的方向。公元138年的一天，地動儀西邊的龍嘴吐出了銅球。As expelled，an earthquake had oc-curred that day in Longxi(present-day Western Gansu Prov-ince ) a thousand kil-ometers away. It was the first time that mankind had used an instrument to detect an earthquake. It was over 1,700 years later that a similar in-strument was invented in Europe.
果然，遠在千里之外的隴西(今甘肅西部一帶)在這一天發生了地震。這是人類第一次用儀器測報地震。在歐洲，直到1700多年後，才發明了同類的儀器。Unfortunately，the seismograph has not been handed may have been lost after the Yongjia Turbulence in Western Jin Dynasty(307一312) origi-nal shape can only be inferred from documents like Eastern Han Dynasty Records and History of East Han Dynasty.
遺憾的是，地動儀未能流傳下來，可能是在西晉永嘉之亂(307一312 )之後失落的，現在只能從《後漢記》、《後漢書》等文獻中推測它的原貌。Zhang Heng was also a mechanical engineer. He ever made a flying “wood-en eagle” and a“mileage-counting drum-cart”.
張衡還是一位機械工程師，製造過能飛的“木雕”和能計算里程的“計裏鼓車”。People highly esteem Zhang Heng，a great scientist living more than 1，800 years ago，and they often hold commemorative activities to show respect for him.A ring of hills on the moon was named after him.
人們非常敬重張衡這位1800多年前的大科學家，經常舉行紀念活動，表示對他的敬意。月球上有一座環形山是以他的名字命名的。
