The Four Great Inventions（4）

四大发明（4）

Before printing was invented, people had to rely on handwriting to reproduce a book.

印刷术发明之前，人们必须用手抄来复制书籍，

It was very slow and errors easily occurred.

这种方法很慢，很容易出错。

Wood-block printing first appeared in the early Tang Dynasty.

唐朝初期，首次出现了木版印刷。

It was developed from the use of seals and stone engraving.

这种印刷术是从印章和石刻发展而来的。

Words engraved on stones could last very long, and later, in about the 4th century, the method of rubbing a piece of paper on an engraved stone coverd with ink was used to maked copies.

刻在石头上的字可以保留很久，后来，大约在4世纪，人们把一张纸铺在刷有油墨的刻字石板上来印刷。

This gave workers the idea of engraving word on a wood-block and print them with the quick development of the economy and culture in the Tang Dynasty, books and other publications like calendars were needed by the public, and this demand promoted wood-block printing.

一些印刷工人由此想到，可将字刻在木板上来印刷。随着唐朝经济文化的迅速发展，人们需要书籍和日历等印刷品，这种需求促进了木版印刷术的发展。

According to records in certain books, block printing was very common in the late Tang Dynasty.

据书籍记载，木版印刷在晚唐时十分普及。

During the Song Dynasty, the technique of block printing was very advanced.

宋朝时期，木版印刷术十分先进。

Books were beautifully printed.

书本印刷得很精美。

Even today the books printed at that time are valuable and treasured by libraries and book collectors.

直至今日，当时所印刷的书仍极有价值，是图书馆和书籍收藏家的珍藏。

Block printing was not very convenient.

木版印刷并不很方便。

Every two pages of a book had to be engraved on a wood block, and a big book would require many blocks.

每印两页就要雕刻一块木板，一部大书需要很多木板。

Besides, there had to be large places for storing the blocks.

除此之外，还需要很大空间来储藏木板。

To overcome these shortcomings, Bi Sheng invented the movable type during the years between 1041 and 1048.

为了克服这些缺点，1041-1048年，毕昇发明了活字印刷。

One word was carved on one piece of clay, which was hardened with fire.

一个小泥块上刻-个字，经过火烤变硬，

Then clay charaters were set on an iron plate according to the text of a book.

然后根据书籍文字将这些泥块汉字排列在一块铁板上。

Then ink was applied to them and sheets of paper spread over them，and the printing was done.

然后刷上油墨，铺上纸张，就可以印刷了。

Bi Sheng's invention made printing faster and easier than before.

毕昇的发明使印刷比以前更快更简单。

Later, movable type of metal and wood was made and widely used.

后来，人们又制成了金属活字和木活字，并广泛应用。

One county magistrate of the Yuan Dynasty had over 30, 000 wood characters carved, with which he printed a book he had written.

元朝的一个地方官刻了3万多个木活字，用来印刷他自己写的书。

It was a book of more than 60, 000 words, and he finished printing 600 copies less than a month.

这本书有六万多字，他一个月内就印了600册。

The technique of printing was gradually known to other Asian countries and Europe.

印刷术逐渐传入亚洲其他国家和欧洲。

It goes without saying that the printing invented by the Chinese has great influence on the advance of civilization.

印刷术对文明进步的巨大影响是不言而喻的。