王充对天地相对尺度的认识

Wang Chong's Understanding of the Comparative Size of the Heavens and the Earth

在对天地相对尺度的认识上 ,中国古人传统上认为地的大小可以与天相比拟。但东汉王充通过对在不同地点观察太阳出没时的大小及北极星方位的变化情况的分析 ,却明确提出了“地小居狭”的主张。王充的论证方法与托勒密是相通的 ,而思想根源则与其重视量的概念的思想方法有关 ,但他的观点长期被人们所忽略 。

With regard to the understanding of the co mparative size of the heavens and the earth, they were thought to be similar to each other by the ancient Chinese. That's the tradition of recognizing the prob lem in ancient China. But Wang Chong in the Eastern Han Dynasty raised a view th at the size of the place lived by human beings was rather smaller than that of t he heavens by analysing the fact that the direction of the polestar was always i n the north while the size of the rising sun was always same whenever they were looked from the east or the west. His demonstration was similar to that of Ptole my in ancient Greece. Such an opinion of Wang Chong was based on his thinking mo del of paying attention to the quantum of matters concerned. His opinion was neg lected in ancient China and hadn't played any role in the develoment of ancient Chinese astronomy.