The Four Great Inventions are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and serve as symbols of Chinese advanced science and technology.
四大发明在中国文化中具有非常重要的历史意义，被誉为中国先进科学技术的象征。

The Four Inventions are: The Compass, Gunpowder, Papermaking, and Printing.
四大发明分别是：造纸术、印刷术、制火药、指南针。

These four inventions had an enormous impact on the development of Chinese civilization and a far-ranging global impact.
这四项发明对中华文明的发展意义深远，甚至对全球都产生了巨大的影响。


【造纸术Papermaking】

aristocrats：贵族
eunuch：太监，宦官
calligraphy：书法
transcribe：转录; 抄写

Paper, zhi, was a Chinese invention.
纸，是中国的发明。

2,000 years ago, Chinese invented paper-making.
2000年前，中国人又发明了造纸术。

This zhi was made of silk and was so expensive that only the emperor and aristocrats could afford to use it.
当时的纸是用丝制成的，非常昂贵，只有王公贵族才能用得起。

1,900 years ago, a eunuch called Cai Lun improved the paper-making process.
1900年前，宦官蔡伦改进了造纸的工艺。

He made cheap thin zhi out of tree bark and rags.
他使用树皮及木屑制作出更薄更廉价的纸张。

The improvement in paper-making spread zhi far and wide,
造纸术的改进，让纸可以传播的更远更广。

and many different types of zhi were invented by Chinese people.
随后有更多种类的纸，被中国人发明出来。

Xuan paper, a kind of high quality rice paper, best shows the charm of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy.
宣纸，一种非常高品质的米纸，可以最好的展示中国画和中国书法的魅力。

Jute paper is used to transcribe Chinese classics.
黄麻纸，用来转印中国的经典书籍。

Later, Chinese zhi was spread to West through the Chinese Silk Road.
随后，中国纸经由丝绸之路传向西方。

Thousands of years of culture and civilization were recorded on zhi and passed to different parts of the world.
几千年的文化和文明，通过纸张的记录，传遍世界各个角落。

【movable type print：活字印刷术】

movable type print：活字印刷术
components：成分; 组分; 零件
baked clay：烤制过的黏土
seals：印、章


A Chinese named Bi sheng invented movable type print around one thousand years ago.

The movable components, are cubes made of baked clay.

Characters were carved on each piece of clay which looked like the seals widely used in China.

The movable components could be arranged freely to form different vocabularies and sentences.

They were fixed, on an iron plate, with frames in certain sequence.

Then ink was painted and a piece of paper was laid down.

A printed sheet was painted this way.

This technique improved the efficiency of printing.

And transform traditional transcription into modern printing.

Script and painting spread widely in the world with the help of yinshua.


【Compass：指南针】
Compass：指南针
magnetic fields：磁场
boost：增长 增进
navigation：航海


A compass Zhi nan zhen indicates North and South.

It was invented by Chinese 2,000 years ago.

The ancient Zhi nan zhen looked like a spoon.

When the spoon was put on a plate, its handle could point to the south using magnetic fields.

Then Chinese used a little steel needle to replace the spoon.

This made the Zhi nan zhen easier to carry.

600 years ago，Zhenghe a famous eunuch of the Ming Dynasty traveled to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean seven times.

Zheng even reached the Red Sea with the help of the Zhi nan zhen.

The invention boosted the development of navigation.


【gunpowder造火药】

Pharmacy：药房; 配药学
Sulphur：硫磺
Charcoal：木炭
potassium nitrate：硝酸钾
proportion：比，比率

Gunpowder (huo yao) is another ancient Chinese invention.

It was invented by accident. More than 1,000 years ago，people experimenting in a pharmacy made the discovery.

They found that if Sulphur, charcoal and potassium nitrate were mixed together with a certain proportion，the mixture would explode.

Gunpowder changed the style of wars.

The steel age ended and gunpowder-based weapons are now widely used. More than 600 years ago，primitive guns were used in China.

Cannon balls were propelled by the thrust of the huo yao explosion.

Now, huo yao is also widely used in fireworks.

The splendid fireworks at the Beijing Olympic Games garnered wide acclaim and admiration from the audience.