How the Abacus Became a Worldwide Phenomenon算盘如何走向世界

The abacus1 has been used in China for millennia， and although its popularity has declined since the invention of hand-held electronic calculators in the 1970s， it remains in widespread use among traders and clerks in Asia and Africa， in shops， restaurants and street stalls. Family-owned stores in Hong Kong and Macao， particularly those selling traditional Chinese medicine， use abacuses， and it is much the same in Chinatowns in North America.

算盘在中国有数千年历史。尽管20世纪70年代手持电子计算器问世以来，其受欢迎程度有所下降，但在亚洲和非洲的商贩和文员手中，在商店、餐馆和街头摊位，算盘仍然广泛使用。香港和澳门的家族经营商铺，尤其是中药铺，仍在使用算盘，北美华人社区亦是如此。

Many factors contribute to the staying power of this ancient device—it’s cheap to produce， easy to use， and requires no electricity—but perhaps the most significant is the same factor that has cemented2 its place in Chinese culture. While the origin of the abacus itself remains unknown， China can claim the best and most widespread method for using it： zhusuan.

这一古老的计算工具经久不衰有许多原因：它成本低廉，操作简便，无需电力。然而，最关键的因素或许就是它扎根中华文化的那个缘由。尽管算盘的起源尚不明确，但中国可以说拥有世界上最先进、最普遍的算盘使用方法——珠算。

Rise of mathematics

数学的诞生

The abacus is the oldest and most widely used tool for calculation in the world， appearing in Mesopotamia3 as early as 2700–2300 BC. Many early civilisations， including the Babylonians and Egyptians， utilised a rudimentary4 form of the abacus， but it was the Persians who exported the abacus to Europe and Asia.

算盘是世界上最古老、使用最广泛的计算工具，早在公元前2700至2300年就已出现在美索不达米亚。巴比伦和埃及等许多早期文明都使用原始算盘，而将算盘传播到欧洲和亚洲的则是波斯人。

The earliest record of the Chinese abacus， known as suanpan （counting tray）， is an illustration from Supplementary Notes on the Art of Figures5 by Xu Yue6. Published in 190 AD， the book also introduced zhusuan as a method for performing mathematical calculations with an abacus.

关于中国算盘的最早记载出现在公元190年徐岳所著《数术记遗》中的一幅插图。除算盘外，该书还介绍了利用算盘进行数学计算的方法——珠算。

Zhusuan likely predates7 the invention of the decimal system8 by Indian mathematicians between the first and fourth centuries AD， and builds on a long tradition of mathematical innovation in China.

珠算是中国数学长期创新发展的成果，其出现时间很可能早于印度数学家在公元1至4世纪间发明的十进制。

The earliest surviving evidence of mathematics dates from the Shang Dynasty （1600–1046 BC） in the form of numbers scratched into tortoise shells. It was the most advanced number system in the world at the time， enabling calculations on number rods， and eventually， on suanpan.

现存最早的数学证据可以追溯至商朝（公元前1600—前1046）；当时，人们在龟甲上刻下数字。这是当时世界上最先进的数字系统，使得人们可以使用算筹进行计算，并最终发展出算盘。

Suanpan were typically constructed of bamboo with seven or more fixed wires or wooden rods affixed9 to metal reinforcements10. Beads were attached to each wire or rod， organized into an upper and lower deck. The upper deck， known as heaven， carried two beads per rod or wire， each with a value of five. The lower deck， known as earth， carried five beads per rod or wire， each with a value of one. This was the 2/5 abacus11 and remained in common use until the 1850s when a 1/4 abacus12 went into production.

传统算盘通常由竹子制成，设有七根或更多固定的金属或木质算珠轴，并以铜铁件加固。每根轴上的算珠分为上下两栏：上栏称为“天”，每根轴有两颗算珠，每颗代表5；下栏称为“地”，每根轴有五颗算珠，每颗代表1。这种“二五制”算盘一直沿用至19世纪50年代，之后“一四制”算盘开始投入生产并普及。

One of the most famous Chinese scholars of the abacus was Cheng Dawei13 （1533–1606）. He published General Source of Computational Methods14， an arithmetic15 guide for the abacus， in 1592. The book， which analyses 595 problems over 17 chapters， played a pivotal role in systematising and popularising zhusuan.

中国历史上最著名的算盘学者之一是程大位（1533—1606）。他于1592年刊行了《算法统宗》，这是一本针对算盘计算的数学指南。该书共17卷，解析了595道数学题，极大地推动了珠算的系统化和普及。

With more than 100 editions printed around the world， Cheng’s book continued to influence mathematics and promote the spread of zhusuan for centuries. It reached Japan in 1600， pioneering the use of the abacus in that country.

《算法统宗》在全世界范围内印行了超过100个版本，几个世纪以来持续影响着数学，并推动了珠算的传播。它于1600年传入日本，并将算盘带入了这个国度。

By the end of the Ming dynasty， the book spread to Southeast Asia， Europe and the Americas， becoming the global foundation for developing the abacus.

到了明朝末年，该书流传更广，远至东南亚、欧洲和美洲，为珠算在全球的发展奠定了基础。

Moving into the modern era

迈入现代

For centuries， schoolchildren in the Chinese-speaking world， South Korea， and Japan learned zhusuan in their mathematics class. Research has shown that this method of instruction greatly improved their mathematical abilities and comprehension， enabling them to outperform16 their western counterparts.

千百年来，华语地区、韩国和日本的学生都在数学课堂上学习珠算。研究表明，这种教学方法显著提升了学生的数学能力和理解能力，使他们的表现超过了西方同龄人。

In the west， children typically learned mathematics through memorization， engaging with figures in the abstract. By using an abacus， children in the east developed a clearer， more concrete grasp of figures. This type of abacus-based mental arithmetic is also thought to improve attention span， memory， and mental capability.

在西方，学生通常通过死记硬背的方式学习数学，抽象地接触数字，而在东方，学生通过算盘形成了对数字更直观、更具象的认知。这种基于算盘的心算训练还被认为有助于提升注意力、记忆力和思维能力。

In China， zhusuan competitions between students using the abacus remained popular throughout this time. But the arrival of cheap electronic calculators in the 1970s dealt a heavy blow to this ancient device. Companies in Japan， Europe， and the United States began producing light， portable calculators suitable for individual use， which quickly spread across the developed world.