清初历算大师梅文鼎

Mei Wending: The Master of Both Calender-calculating and Mathematics in the Early Qing Dynasty

梅文鼎(1633—1721),字定九,号勿庵,安徽宣城人,是清初被誉为“历算第一名家"的民间天文、数学家。他生当西方科学传人中国的时代,毕生致力于阐发西学要旨、表彰中学精华,对于整个清代的学术思想都有一定的影响,通过这一人物的思想和活动,我们也可以从一个侧面看到中、

The late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty saw a peculiar period in thehistory of science and technology of China when the Chinese traditional sciences werestagnant for a long time, even went backwards; and at the same time, the Westernsciences began their propagation in China. Mei Wending, praised as 'the number onemaster of both calender-calculating and mathematics', systematized and collectedearnestly the quintessence of Chinese traditional science, thus laid a foundation forthe renewal of ancient Chinese astronomy and mathematics in the mid-Qing Dynasty.He vigorously studied and propagated the Western scientific knowledge, thus becamethe practioner of the ideal 'mixing the Chinese science with that of the West' of Xu Guangqi who lived at the end of Ming Dynasty. For these reasons, his scientificactivity was paid much attention by the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. Themerging of the two trends learning from the West, i. e. the trend of common peoplerepresented by Mei and that of the royal court, marked an upsurge of research inthe astronomic mathematics in the early Qing Dynasty. The paper also has an analysisof the theory that 'Western sciences result from China' proposed and developed byhim and points out the historical reasons of its forming and its stimulating role inthe spreading of Western sciences. In addition, the paper also points out its limita-tion. It was unfavourable to the process of Chinese science merging into the mainstream of modern science of the world and this theory became eventually an ideolo-gical weapon to support the royal orthodoxy of the feudal rulers.