明清之际兵书文献中弹道知识描述的辨析

A Primary Discrimination for the Description about Trajectory Knowledge in Chinese Military Books of Late Ming and Early Qing

16至19世纪,在中国仿制与使用西方火器的技术交流中,西方弹道学知识逐渐传入中国并与中国传统相关知识、经验相结合,这集中反映在明清时期的兵书文献中。从描述术语的角度,主要就明清之际兵书文献中关于弹道学知识的描述进行辨析与探讨,从瞄准技术、弹道轨迹描述和对飞行的解释几个方面概述中国在明清之际既继承了传统火药抛射武器的定性描写,也吸收了西方弹道技术与理论,希冀以此反映出中国弹道学知识在16世纪西方弹道学知识传入之后的发展与演变。

From 16th to 19th century there is an intensified intercommunion for the technology of artillery-making and applying for guns between West and China through introducing science and tech- nology by Jesuits. During this transmission, western knowledge of ballistic was introduced and combined with traditional Chinese knowledge and experiences, and this was reflected with concentration in the military books of Late Ming and Early Qing. This paper especially differentiates and analyses the description for trajectory knowledge in military books during this period from the aspect of terminology. Through analyzing the descriptions about devices for aiming, ballistic curve, and explanation for flight, the paper manifests that China of Late Ming and Early Qing inherited qualitative description for traditional cast weapon with gun-powder, as well as absorbed western technology and theory for trajectory, hoping that it might be of help to reflect the development and the evolution of Chinese ballistics after the introduction of western ballistics into China since 16th century. Key words trajectory knowledge, military books, description, late Ming and early Qing