中国古代“四大发明”说法的形成及其他

On the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China

马克思较早提出了"三大发明"的说法;稍后,有人加上造纸形成"四大发明"的说法。欧洲学者能站在广阔的比较视野下,深刻阐释中国四大发明给人类文明带来的影响,而中国本土学者大都不具备这种视野。科技史研究能使我们更加深刻地认识自我。

It was Karl Marx who first proposed the expression of ＂die 3 grossen der Erflndungen＂, and shortly after the expression of ＂Four Great Inven- tions＂ was also put into use. Western scholars, in the comparative perspective which most Chinese scholars ]aeked, had expounded the signii＇icanee of the Chinese inventions in the wide context of cultural communication. The study on the Chinese science and technology and cultural exchange can help us to recognize ourselves.