中國人最先發明的十大物品(上)

Those who live in the Western world often feel as though their civilization is, and always was, the most technologically advanced (and maybe even most important) in the world. However, that is not necessarily true. Many important inventions that we once used, or even still use today, saw their advent in the mysterious Eastern "Orient," as the Europeans once called it. These inventions were not only revolutionary but also markers of one of the most advanced societies in our history, perhaps second only to modern day, industrial cultures. So, here we will look through ten important things that the Chinese invented first, that are still important to us today.

西方人往往覺得他們的文明是世界上最先進的（甚至是最重要的）。然而，這可不一定。許多我們曾經使用過或沿用至今的重要發明，都首先出現在神祕的“東方”（歐洲人曾用“Orient”這個詞指中國和日本）。這些發明不僅是革命性的，還是古代中國技術先進的象徵，那時的中國文明，也許僅次於現代工業文明。在這裏，我們一起來看下中國人最先發明的10件重要東西，這些物品至今都不可或缺。

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10.酒

What is more important than the invention of alcohol? While the substance was certainly useful for tolerating the brutal conditions of the ancient world, it also had another, nearly miraculous effect. It was a sterilizer in an age when Purell and hand soap were distant dreams in the eyes of the OCD. It is arguable that booze is the very thing that made civilization possible, giving people clean drinking water and a way to sanitize wounds, foods, and pretty much anything else that they poured their liquor on.

還有什麼東西比酒的發明更重要呢？雖然酒對於抵禦古代嚴酷的環境很有幫助，但它還有一種神奇的作用。在淨手液和抗菌皁簡直遙不可及的時代，酒就是滅菌劑。雖然酒爲人們提供乾淨的飲水，人們還可以用它消毒傷口、清潔食物及其他東西，但酒的發明使人類文明成爲可能這種說法依舊有待商榷。

And of course, it was first invented in China. Nearly nine thousand years ago, as far as we can tell. In the late 1990s, archeologists uncovered shards of broken pottery in Northern China which had on them a strange residue. Upon further examination, the residue was determined to be left over fermented juices from rice, honey, and fruit, essentially giving us history's first mead.

當然，酒最早是在中國發明的。據我們所知，那是近九千年前的事了。上世紀90年代末，考古學家在中國北部發現了碎陶器碎片，這些碎片上有一種奇怪的殘留物。經過進一步檢驗，考古學家發現這種殘留物是由大米、蜂蜜和水果發酵而來的，實際上，這是歷史上第一罐蜂蜜酒。

What makes the whole thing even better is that this Stone Age archeological site also revealed some of the oldest playable instruments ever found, in the form of flutes made of bone. So chances are, those ancient folk were doing the same thing we still do, listening to music and get smashed with our friends.

更妙的是，這個石器時代的考古遺址還出土了一些骨頭製成的長笛。這是最古老的樂器。所以，古人們也許和我們做着同樣的事情，聽聽音樂，和朋友開懷暢飲。

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9．印刷術

Everyone knows Gutenberg right? From the famous Bible to the project trying to spread free textbooks, the man behind this name is one of the most important figures in the development of modern European culture. Johannes Gutenberg's printing press helped shape modern Europe, and by extension, a great deal of the world. But guess what, the Chinese did it first, and they did it way earlier.

每個人都知道古登堡對吧？從著名的聖經到傳播免費書籍的項目，這個名字背後是推動現代歐洲文化發展的巨匠。約翰內斯·古登堡發明的印刷機幫助塑造了現代歐洲，並傳播到世界各地。但你猜怎麼着，印刷術是中國人最先發明的。

During the reign of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Chinese engineers began using wood blocks to print designs onto silk and other fabrics. This would soon transition into reproducing short Buddhist texts so people could carry their mantras with them. Finally, by 868, the first dated, printed book was published. It was a translated Indian Buddhist text called the Diamond Sutra. Oh, and for a little perspective, Gutenberg was born around 1400, nearly 540 years after the publishing of the Diamond Sutra.

唐朝（618-907年）年間，中國的工匠們開始用木塊把圖案印在絲綢和其他織物上。這項技術很快被用於復刻簡短的佛經，以便人們隨身攜帶。終於，公元868年，到了，第一本印刷書面世了。這是一部被翻譯過來的印度佛經，名叫金剛經。相比之下，古登堡出生於公元1400年左右，比印刷版金剛經的面世晚了約540年。

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8.紙幣

Not long after coming up with an efficient printing press, the Chinese invented banknotes. Now, one might ask, why are banknotes interesting? They're just lame pieces of paper! Well, they are important because we still use them today. Nearly all modern currency comes in the form of banknotes, pieces of colored paper that are given value by the very people who use them.

中國人發明高效的印刷機後不久，紙幣也問世了。今時今日，也許有人會問，紙幣有什麼稀奇？不過是些薄紙片兒罷了。確實，紙幣很重要是因爲被我們使用至今。幾乎所有的現代貨幣都是以紙幣形式出現的，這些色彩斑斕的紙片被每一位使用者賦予了價值。

Banknotes began to emerge in China, even before the publication of the previously mentioned Sutra, in the 700s, as inflation and devaluation made Chinese currency inefficient and even annoying to use in bartering. So, they did the obvious thing and converted those gold coins into green Benjamins.

公元8世紀，紙幣開始在中國出現，這甚至早於上文提到的金剛經面世時間。受通貨膨脹和貨幣貶值的影響，當時的中國錢幣變得一文不值，在交易時使用起來極不便利。因此，紙幣便應運而生了。

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7.造紙術

Now, how could a group of people invent printing and banknotes, if they didn't also create something for that ink to get stamped on! Around A.D. 100, the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220) figured out how to make material on which they could write by using old rags, bamboo, hemp, and other fibrous plants and materials to make pulp. This pulp would then be filtered through a screen and allowed to dry, creating paper.

如果人們都沒有創造出可供書寫的東西，又怎麼能發明印刷術和紙幣？早在公元100年左右，漢朝（公元前206年-公元220年）人就用舊布片、竹、麻及其他纖維植物和材料來製作紙漿。人們隨後用蔑席撈漿，使紙漿在席上交織成薄片狀的溼紙，乾燥後揭下，就成了紙張。

While the rest of the world had things like parchment and papyrus before then, this paper would ultimately win out as the world's preferred method of recording information. It does not require specific storage conditions like papyrus, or specifically prepared animal hide, like parchment.

雖然在此之前，世界上其他地方也有像羊皮紙和莎草紙（莎草紙是古埃及人廣泛採用的書寫介質，是將紙莎草這種植物做一定處理而做成，類似於竹簡）這樣的工具，但毫無疑問，紙張是拿來記錄信息的最優選擇。它既不像莎草紙那樣需要特定的儲藏條件，也不像羊皮紙那樣需要事先準備獸皮。

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6.舵

Ah, the rudder. Probably amongst the most underappreciated part of any boat. While the rest of the world used steering oars in lieu of built-in rudders, the ancient Chinese were one step ahead, inventing the stern-mounted rudder around A.D. 100.

舵可能是整個船體中最容易被忽視的部分。公元100年前後，當世界其他地方還在使用操縱槳來控制航向時，古代中國已經領先一步，發明了固定於船尾的舵。

This useful implement allowed for careful and precise turning, something that the steering oar was not quite as capable of, considering the oar had to rely on one strong man not getting too tired to steer the boat. With a rudder attached, all it would take to turn the boat was the moving of a lever. Oh, and just for a little more perspective, the oldest recorded use of stern-mounted rudders in Europe was about a thousand years later, in southern England. It looks like the Saxons got tired of having to turn their boats themselves!

船舵使得精準轉向成爲可能，這是操縱槳無法做到的，因爲操縱漿必須依靠一個滿身力氣的壯漢來進行轉向操作。但裝上了船尾舵，船隻轉向就只需要移動控制桿了。對了，進一步對比下，歐洲最早使用固定船尾舵的記錄，出現在1000年以後的英格蘭南部。看起來，那個時期的撒克遜人終於厭倦了人工轉向！