China has been the source of some of the world's most significant inventions, including the Four Great Inventions of ancient China, a modern term which was coined by the British scholar Joseph Needham: paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing.

First inventions

China has fathered many inventions and discoveries. The inventions which made their first appearance in China are listed here.(Table 56, pgs. 176-180 in Needham's Volume 4 Part 2, Science and Civilization in China).

• Paper
• Compass
• Gunpowder
• Printing
• Chinese calendar
• Chopsticks

• Bristle toothbrush^[1]
• Toilet paper^[2]
• Gougu theorem, Chinese name for Pythagorean theorem. It was found earlier in China.
• Yanghui Triangle, Chinese name for Pascal's Triangle, 500 years earlier.

Other inventions

Things often misunderstood or rumoured to be invented by the Chinese:

• Abacus (first appearance: Mesopotamia, 2400 BC. First certain appearance in China: 12th century AD)
• Armillary sphere (invented by the Greek Eratosthenes), with the world's first water-powered armillary sphere by Zhang Heng.
• Various automata (refer to article on King Mu of Zhou, Mozi, Lu Ban, etc.)
• Bellows
• Canal Lock
• Camera obscura

Modern Tools

• Cannon
• Crossbow
• Flamethrower (Pen Huo Qi; prototype of the modern version, with continuous stream of flame)^[3]
• Flash lock
• Explosive grenades
• Unmanned hot air balloon (Kongming lantern)
• Paper money
• Parachute
• Pontoon bridge
• Porcelain
• Segmental Arch Bridge
• Seismometer
• Scissors
• Suspension bridge
• Star catalogue
• Collapsable Umbrella
• Vaccination
• Water clock
• Wheelbarrow

See also

• History of science and technology in China
• Technology of Song Dynasty

Footnotes

References

• Robert K. G. Temple, The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery and Invention, Publisher: Prion (October 1, 1998), ISBN 978-1853752926
• Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd.