明代铜活字问题献疑

Some Questions on Bronze Movable Type in the Ming Dynasty

有关明代的铜活字问题,传统上认为是中国印刷术的重要成就,向无异议。但近些年来对这一问题的辨析认为,明代并无铜活字,所谓的明代铜活字实际上是锡活字,动摇了传统说法的根基。新说固然言之有理,但仍需要对华氏以"铜板"摆字是一种技术创新的准确性、"铜板(版)"的真正涵义、传世文献中关于明代铜活字的记载内容、异域文献材料内容和明代用铜情况进行仔细的分析。因此,明代存在铜活字的说法不能轻易否定。

Bronze movable type in the Ming dynasty has traditionally been regarded as an important achievement of Chinese printing without objection. But in recent years, some scholars have written articles to analyze on this claim. They believe that the so-called bronze movable type in Ming dynasty is in fact tin type and there is no bronze type in the Ming dynasty, which shakes the foundation of the traditional claim. Although the new point of view is justified, but still need to analysis the accuracy of putting the word in bronze frame is a technical innovation, and the true meaning of the ＂ bronze frame＂, and the records about the Ming dynasty bronze movable type in historical documents, and the contents of exotic literature and the use of bronze in the Ming dynasty. Therefore, the view of Ming dynasty bronte movable type cannot be easily denied.