Chinese Zhusuan, Knowledge and Practices of Mathematical Calculation Through the Abacus中國珠算

熊娟娟

中國珠算是中華民族的重大發明，對中華民族的經濟、文化等發展起到了不可磨滅的作用。珠算文化不僅沉淀著古人千年的智慧，同時對今人的思維邏輯也有很大的啟發。2013 年12 月，中國珠算被正式列入《人類非物質文化遺產代表作名錄》。

Zhusuan refers to an old method of performing 1）arithmeticcalculations with an abacus， which is called suanpan in Chinese.

The origin of Zhusuan dates back thousands of years to ancientChina. According to 2）archaeological research， the earliest formsof abacuses can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14thcentury BC. The term Zhusuan first appeared in a book entitledSupplementary Notes on the Art of Figures， written by Xu Yue， a wellknownmathematician and astronomer of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Zhusuan was extensively applied in ancient China for commercial3）transactions， 4）financial management， tax calculations， and otherfields. It has been considered an important skill in Chinese cultureand incorporated into the educational system.

The Chinese abacus， as the elementary counting tool of Zhusuan，is simple yet ingenious. Its main body consists of a wooden frame，typically with a horizontal beam and 5）vertical rods. On each verticalrod， there are usually seven beads. By manipulating the positionof the beads， various mathematical calculations such as addition，subtraction， multiplication， and division can be performed. Manyadvanced concepts and techniques are involved in the calculatingprocess， like positional notation， multiples， and vertical calculation.

Using the abacus to calculate requires a high level ofconcentration and flexibility during calculations. Operators， based ontheir mastery of the place value of different beads and computationrules， utilize the abacus to perform calculations swiftly and accuratelyby means of verbal or mental arithmetic skills.

The advantages of Zhusuan lie in its 6）efficiency and visualnature. Compared to modern electronic calculators， Zhusuan allows?users to understand mathematical concepts and computationalprocesses through hands-on manipulation and sliding of beads. Itnot only cultivates thinking abilities， logical reasoning， and calculationspeed but also enhances attention， concentration， and patience.

Although the 7）prevalence of calculators and computers has ledto a decline in the use of the abacus， there is still a strong passionand interest for Zhusuan in China. Zhusuan has become an essentialpart of fine traditional Chinese culture.

As a time-honored traditional method of calculation， Zhusuantoday continues to contribute to “the advancement of calculatingtechniques， cognitive schema， educational psychology and intellectualdevelopment”， concludes UNESCO.

1） arithmetic n. 算術

2） archaeological adj. 考古的

3） transaction n. 交易

4） financial adj. 金融的

5） vertical adj. 垂直的

6） efficiency n. 效率

7） prevalence n. 流行；盛行

珠算是一種以算盤為工具進行數學計算的古老方法。

珠算起源于中國古代，至今已有數千年的歷史。據考古研究，最早的算盤可以追溯到公元前14 世紀的商代時期。“珠算”一詞最早出現在《數術記遺》一書中，該書由東漢時期著名的數學家和天文學家徐岳所撰。

珠算在中國古代廣泛應用于商業交易、財務管理、稅收計算和其他領域。它在中國文化中被視為一種重要的技能，并被納入教育體系中。

珠算借助算盤這一基礎工具進行計算。算盤的結構簡單而精巧。它的主體部分由一個木制框架組成，通常由橫梁和豎柱構成。在每個豎柱上，有七個珠子。通過移動珠子的位置，可以進行加、減、乘、除等各種數學運算。許多高級的概念和技巧，如進位制、倍數和豎式計算等也在計算過程中得以應用。

使用算盤計算需要高度的注意力和靈活性。操作者通過掌握不同珠子的位值和運算規則，在口算或心算的基礎上，使用算盤快速而準確地完成計算。

珠算的優勢在其高效性和可視化特點。相較于現代電子計算器，珠算可以幫助使用者通過觸摸和滑動珠子的實際操作來理解數學概念和計算過程。它不僅可以培養人的思維能力、邏輯推理能力和運算能力，還有助于提高注意力、集中精力和培養耐心。

盡管計算器和電腦的普及使算盤的使用逐漸減少，然而，中國仍有很多人對珠算葆有熱愛和興趣。珠算已成為中華優秀傳統文化的重要組成部分。

作為一種歷史悠久的傳統計算法，時至今日，珠算繼續做著貢獻，就像聯合國教科文組織所總結的，“珠算有助于提升計算技巧、認知模式、教育心理學及智力開發”。