摘要
火药是人类历史上最伟大的发明之一。20世纪以来主要是中国人的研究,逐渐将火药的发明与中国联系起来,公认的中国火药史研究先驱是冯家昇和王铃。基于新发现的原始史料,本文认为,无论是研究的起始时间,还是论著最早的发表和宣读时间,曹焕文都要更早。更重要地,他在冯、王之前就明确提出"火药是由中国古代炼丹家所发明的"这一被后来学术界普遍接受并作为研究起点的基本论断,同时给出更有理有据从而也更加令人信服的论证。此外,他集近20年心血手辑的《中国火药全史资料》是迄今所知唯一专门针对中国火药史的资料汇编。同时,他关于火药发明于魏晋之际、公表于南北朝、以杂戏形式始于隋代即最初用于民间而后扩展至军事,以及火药西传在一定意义上说是蒙古人"主动"传授等观点,自成一家之言。
Gunpowder is regarded as one of the Due mainly to the studies from Chinese scholars since greatest inventions in the history of mankind. the 20th century, the name of China has been gradually connected with the invention of gunpowder. Among these Chinese scholars, Feng Chiasheng and Wang Ling have been generally accepted as the pioneers in the field of the history of gunpowder in ancient China. In view of the newly discovered firsthand historical materials, however, this paper deems that Cao Huanwen began his research earlier than the study of Feng and Wang, whether about the publication or the reading off of papers. What matters most is that Cao firstly and independently developed the idea which was generally accepted as the basic thesis of the following research since Feng and Wang. The paper states clearly that it was the ancient Chinese medico-alchemists who invented gunpowder. For this conclusion, Cao had made a more justifiable and convincing job. In addition, one of Cao＇s manuscript works, Materials of the Complete History of Gunpowder in Ancient Chi- na, which it took nearly 20 years to work on, is so far the only discovered writings assembling the research data of the Chinese history of gunpowder. Meanwhile, Cao＇s many other ideas could also be the academic works of independent thought, for example, gunpowder was invented during the times of Wei and Jin and was well-known in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and it was used firstly among the people and then to military purpose, and the dissemination of gunpowder from China to the West via Arabia was due to Mongolia＇s ＂active＂ imparting.
出处
《自然科学史研究》
CSCD
北大核心
2014年第4期467-478,共12页
Studies in The History of Natural Sciences
关键词
火药史
研究史
曹焕文
中国
炼丹家
history of gunpowder, research history, Cao Huanwen, China, alchemist
