【51Talk-英文介绍中国非遗文化】中国非物质文化遗产：中国珠算

中国非物质文化遗产：中国珠算
Have you ever wondered how you would you solve math problems if you didn’t have a calculator or computer or even pencil and paper? For centuries, people in Asia have used an ancient counting tool to perform mathematical operations. The Chinese calculator name is “suanpan,” but it is also known as an abacus. Dating back to at least the 12th century, this simple counting device has been passed down through the centuries with its original design and purpose virtually unchanged.
你有没有想过如果你没有计算器或电脑，甚至没有铅笔和纸，你会如何解决数学问题？几个世纪以来，亚洲人一直使用古老的计数工具来进行数学运算。

中国计算器的名字是“算盘”，但它也被称为珠算。

这种简单的计数装置至少可以追溯到12世纪，几个世纪以来一直沿用至今，其原始设计和用途几乎没有改变。

Considered one of the first mathematical instruments, the abacus has evolved significantly and so have the ways to use them. This Chinese Abacus also known as a Suan Pan has a 5+2 bead combination, with 5 earth beads and 2 heaven beads on a single rod split by a wooden barrier. The number of rods indicates the degree of accuracy of the calculated number for example 3 rods indicates a 3 digit number either 100, 010=10or 001 as 0.01. The choice of decimal point was dependent on the use.
算盘被认为是最早的数学工具之一，已经有了很大的发展，使用算盘的方法也有了很大的进步。

这种中国算盘也被称为蒜盘，有5+2珠组合，在一根杆上有5颗土珠和2颗天珠，由木质屏障分开。

杆的数量表示计算数量的精确度，例如3根杆表示3位数，或者100，010 = 10，或者001为0.01。

小数点的选择取决于用途。

Abacus was invented as early as the Spring and Autumn Period in ancient China and has a history of more than 2500 years. The first description of Chinese abacus of this form was in a book of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The instrument was often used by merchants and shop keepers calculating costs.
算盘早在中国古代的春秋时期就发明了，迄今已有2500多年的历史。

这种形式的中国算盘的第一次描述是在一本东汉书籍中。

商人和店主经常使用这种工具来计算成本。

The lower ‘deck’ of beads are commonly called earth or water beads and represent a value of 1 whilst the upper ‘deck’ are called heaven beads and represent a value of 5. The Chinese abacus had the 5+2 configuration as this also
allowed hexadecimal calculations as Chinese weight units were hexadecimal [4]. This is done by having both heaven beads and all earth beads raised giving a value of 15 thus on a rod numbers between 0 and 15 can be displayed.
下层珠子通常被称为土珠子或水珠子，代表1的值，而上层珠子被称为天堂珠子，代表5的值。

中国算盘的配置是5+2，因为这也允许十六进制计算，因为中国的重量单位是十六进制。

要做到这一点，天珠和所有地珠都要升起，给出15的值，因此在杆上可以显示0到15之间的数字。

The abacus was capable of multiplication, addition and subtraction and was very time efficient when used by a skilled person. Capable of doing a multiplication of 9 x 9 per rod this made it possible to multiply any numbers capable of fitting on the abacus together. Addition worked on the principle that you would add the appropriate value to each rod from right to left and carry any tens to the next row as needed, subtraction works very similarly but in reverse and might require ‘borrowing’ from more left rods. Multiplication was different and required individual mental multiplication of digit by digit left to right. For a 5+2 abacus two alternative techniques called the extra bead and suspended bead techniques could be used to make multiplication quicker [3]. These methods are still used today in some Chinese stores and Chinese abacuses can be found all around the globe. It is even thought that the Chinese abacus inspired the Roman abacus.
算盘能够乘法、加法和减法，当被熟练的人使用时，时间效率很高。

每根杆能做9×9的乘法运算，这使得任何能与算盘相匹配的数都可以相乘。

加法的原理是，你可以从右到左
为每根棒加上适当的值，并根据需要将任何十进制数带入下一行，减法的原理非常相似，但相反，可能需要从更多的左棒“借用”。

乘法是不同的，需要从左到右逐个数字的心理乘法。

对于5+2算盘，可以使用两种称为额外珠和悬浮珠的替代技术来加快乘法运算，这些方法至今仍在一些中国商店使用，中国算盘遍布全球。

人们甚至认为中国算盘启发了罗马算盘。

With the emergence of digital calculators, abacus and abacus have gradually faded out of the historical stage. In modern times, abacus is more of a cultural symbol. The Chinese abacus，is considered the fifth greatest invention in Chinese history，was officially listed as an intangible cultural heritage at the 8th Annual UNESCO World Heritage Congress on December 4th in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2013。

随着电子计算器的出现，珠算和算盘逐渐淡出了历史舞台。

在现代，算盘更多的是一种文化符号。

珠算，被认为是中国历史上第五大发明。

2013年，在阿塞拜疆首都巴库举行的联合国教科文组织年度世界遗产大会第八次会议宣布，珠算正式被列为人类非物质文化遗产。