The Four Great Inventions of China
FoundationPapermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder are China's Four Great Inventions: Cai Lun improved papermaking, Bi Sheng invented movable type, the compass opened the seas and gunpowder powered engineering — together they changed the world.
- The Four Great Inventions are papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder.
- Cai Lun improved papermaking, making writing materials light and cheap.
- Bi Sheng invented movable-type printing, so books could be printed in quantity.
文體小知識：歷史知識說明文講述古代的人和事，四大發明的故事令人讀來津津有味。
§Text Passage
1Before paper, the Chinese wrote on tortoise shells, animal bones, bamboo slips and silk. Bamboo slips were heavy and silk was costly. In the Eastern Han dynasty, Cai Lun drew on earlier experience and improved papermaking, using tree bark, hemp scraps, old rags and worn fishing nets to make light, cheap paper. Writing materials became common and knowledge spread far faster.
2In the Sui and Tang dynasties came block printing: a whole page carved into one wooden block, then brushed and printed. In the Northern Song, Bi Sheng went further and invented movable-type printing: single characters carved in clay, arranged into a page, printed, then taken apart and rearranged — saving time and material. With paper and printing working together, books could be printed in quantity, and reading was no longer the privilege of the rich.
3The compass was made using a magnet's habit of pointing north and south, and by the Song dynasty it guided ships at sea. Vessels no longer lost their way, and sea trade and cultural exchange flourished. Gunpowder was an accident of alchemists seeking elixirs: first used for fireworks and firecrackers, later for blasting roads through mountains and mining.
4The Four Great Inventions travelled across the world: paper and printing carried knowledge into every household, the compass opened the age of great voyages, and gunpowder transformed engineering. Behind today's reading, writing and satellite navigation lie these ancient ideas. Knowing the Four Great Inventions is knowing China's great contribution to world civilisation.
1Summary 重點摘要
Papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder are China's Four Great Inventions: Cai Lun improved papermaking, Bi Sheng invented movable type, the compass opened the seas and gunpowder powered engineering — together they changed the world.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The technique of making paper from plant fibres.
The technique of copying words and pictures onto paper in quantity.
Printing with single characters arranged into a page, to be taken apart and rearranged.
A tool using magnetism to show north and south — one of the Four Great Inventions.
A mixture that burns explosively, used in fireworks and engineering blasts.
An Eastern Han official who improved papermaking and made paper common.
A Northern Song craftsman who invented clay movable-type printing.
The narrow bamboo strips written on before paper, bound into volumes.
The good brought to others or the world, such as the inventions' gift to civilisation.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Know the writing materials before paperBefore paper was invented, people wrote on bamboo slips and silk. Try this: copy a passage onto five strips of paper, tie them together, and see how clumsy it is to look up one sentence — that was a bamboo scroll; silk was light but far too costly for ordinary people. For centuries people longed for a writing material both light and cheap. Tortoise shells and animal bones were used for records even earlier; archaeologists learned the history of the Shang dynasty from the inscriptions on them.
- Step 2: Meet Cai Lun and papermakingIn the Eastern Han, Cai Lun improved papermaking by building on earlier experience. He pounded tree bark, hemp scraps, rags and old fishing nets into pulp, lifted the sheets out and dried them, making paper that was light, smooth and cheap. Now everyone could afford paper, and writing was no longer the privilege of the rich — which is why he is remembered as the great improver of papermaking. Papermaking later spread west along the Silk Road; as people everywhere learned it, knowledge travelled faster and faster.
- Step 3: Compare block and movable-type printingPrinting has a story of its own. Block printing carves a whole page onto one wooden board, so a single wrong character means recarving the whole board — slow and wasteful. In the Northern Song, Bi Sheng invented movable type: single characters were made as separate pieces, arranged into a page, taken apart and used again, so only the wrong character needed replacing. Movable type raised the efficiency of book printing enormously. Movable type could be made of clay, wood or metal; in the centuries after Bi Sheng's invention, printing kept improving.
- Step 4: The compass and seafaringThe compass uses a magnet's power to point north and south, showing sailors the way. After Song merchant ships carried compasses, they could still find direction in thick fog when neither Sun nor stars were visible, and sea trade grew safer and busier. The compass later spread abroad and pushed forward the world's seafaring. With the compass working alongside sea charts, fleets could cross the great oceans and find new routes and trading partners.
- Step 5: The uses of gunpowderGunpowder was discovered by accident while seeking elixirs, and today it has many uses. Festival fireworks paint coloured patterns in the night sky and firecrackers crackle loudly, both driven by burning gunpowder; cutting roads through hills and digging mines also rely on its blasts to break hard rock. One invention brings both celebration and construction. Gunpowder must be handled only by professionals under strict safety rules, and fireworks displays should be watched from designated places.
- Step 6: Sum up the influencePapermaking and printing let knowledge be written, printed and spread; the compass opened the seas and joined the world together; gunpowder changed engineering and warfare. Spreading one after another around the globe, these four inventions are China's great contributions to world civilisation, and they remind us to treasure the wisdom and creativity of those who came before. Knowing the Four Great Inventions also means learning the spirit of careful observation, bold trial and constant improvement.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: without paper and printing, how would our school life be different? Give two ways and explain.
- Books would only exist on bamboo slips and silk — heavy and costly, so schools could hardly give every pupil one.
- Every book would have to be copied by hand, so copies would be rare and ordinary families could not own them.
- Knowledge would travel slowly, and people in faraway places would find new learning even harder to reach.
- With paper and printing, books can be printed in quantity, and reading and learning become a chance for everyone.
- Answer: Without paper and printing, books would be costly and rare and knowledge would spread slowly, with reading the privilege of a few; these two inventions let books circulate in quantity and turned learning into a chance everyone can enjoy.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What are China's Four Great Inventions?
Q2What was Cai Lun's contribution to papermaking?
Q3What advantages does movable-type printing have over block printing?
Q4What did the compass do for seafaring?
Q5How did the Four Great Inventions affect the world?
8Recap Recap
- The Four Great Inventions are papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder.
- Cai Lun improved papermaking, making writing materials light and cheap.
- Bi Sheng invented movable-type printing, so books could be printed in quantity.
- The compass opened seafaring; gunpowder served engineering and festivals.
- Spread across the world, the inventions are China's great gift to civilisation.