沈括?著

【原文】

《夢溪筆談 · 卷18技藝10》

版印書籍，唐人尚未盛為之。自馮瀛王[1] ?始印五經(jīng)[2]，已后典籍，皆為版本。慶歷[3]中，有布衣[4]畢昇[5]，又為活版。其法：用膠泥刻字，薄如錢唇，每字為一印，火燒令堅。先設(shè)一鐵版，其上以松脂、蠟和紙灰之類冒之。欲印，則以一鐵范置鐵板上，乃密布字印。滿鐵范為一板，持就火煬之，藥稍镕，則以一平板按其面，則字平如砥。若止印三二本，未為簡易；若印數(shù)十百千本，則極為神速。常作二鐵板，一板印刷，一板已自布字，此印者才畢，則第二板已具。更互用之，瞬息可就。每一字皆有數(shù)印，如“之”、“也”等字，每字有二十余印，以備一板內(nèi)有重復(fù)者。不用則以紙貼之，每韻為一貼，木格貯之。有奇字素?zé)o備者，旋刻之，以草火燒，瞬息可成。不以木為之者，木理有疏密， ?沾水則高下不平，兼與藥相粘，不可取。不若燔土，用訖再火令藥熔，以手拂之，其印自落，殊不沾污。昇死，其印為予群從所得，至今保藏。

【注釋】

[1] 馮瀛王 féng yíng wáng：馮道（882年－954年），五代時期著名宰相。

[2] 五經(jīng) wǔ jīng：儒家典籍《詩經(jīng)》《尚書》《禮記》《周易》《春秋》。

[3] 慶歷 qìng lì：宋仁宗1041年－1048年的年號。

[4] 布衣 bù yī：平民。這里指沒有做官的讀書人的平民。

[5] 畢昇 bì shēnɡ：畢昇（972年－1051年），活字印刷術(shù)的發(fā)明者。

【今譯】

用雕刻木板印刷書籍，唐朝人還沒有廣泛使用。自從五代馮瀛王（馮道）印五經(jīng)開始，以后的經(jīng)典書籍，都采用刻版印刷了。慶歷年間（1041年 – 1048年），有個平民叫畢升，創(chuàng)造了活字印刷的技術(shù)。他的方法是：用膠泥來刻制活字，活字的厚度薄得像銅錢邊緣，每個字做成一個印，然后用火把它燒硬。印刷前先準備一塊鐵板，在這鐵板上面涂一層松脂、蠟和紙灰調(diào)和成的藥料。要印刷時，就把一個鐵框放在鐵板上，在鐵板里將字密密的排列字印。排滿以后，拿到火上烘烤。等到松脂和蠟逐漸熔化，用一塊平板壓在活字上面一按，這樣鐵板上的字印就能平得像磨刀石那樣。如果只印兩三本書，這種方法不算省事；如果印上幾十、幾百以至幾千本，那就非?？焖佟ＭǔＪ菧蕚鋬蓧K鐵板，一塊板在印刷時，另一塊板進行排字；第一版剛印完，第二版已準備好。兩塊板輪流使用，很快就可以把書印好。每一個字都制有幾個印，例如“之”、“也”等常用字，每個字有20多個印，以便準備一板內(nèi)有重復(fù)的字使用。不用的時候，就用紙貼上標(biāo)簽，按每個韻的字帖為一類，裝在木格子里保存起來。如果遇上不常見的字，就立即刻制，用草火來燒它，使它變堅硬，轉(zhuǎn)眼間就做成。之所以不用木料來做字印的原由，是因為木料的紋理有疏有密，沾上水以后就會凹凸不平，而且木和藥料粘在一起，不容易取下。不如用膠泥制的好，用完后把字板放在火里烤一下，使藥料熔化，用手一拂，字印自動就脫落，一點也不會沾污。畢升死后，他的一些活字字印傳給我的子侄們手里，到現(xiàn)在還珍貴地保存著。

【English Translation】

Mengxi Bitan Chapter 18 Jiyi 10

Woodblock printing was not widely used ?during the Tang dynasty. Ever since Feng Ying Wang started to print the Five Confucian Classics with woodblock ?printing in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, all the classics were ?printed in such a way. During the Qingli period of the reign of emperor ?Renzong, a man called Bi Sheng invented movable type printing. His method goes ?as follows:

1. Carve Chinese characters with clay and ?glue, making the protruding characters as thin as the edge of copper coins;

2. Carve every character on a small ?block of moistened clay and then bake it to harden;

3. Coat an iron board with a layer ?made of pine gum, wax and paper ash.

When he wants to print, he puts an iron ?frame on it and then fills the frame with hardened earthen types. Then he ?heats the board on the fire. When the pine gum and wax gradually melt, he ?uses another board to press onto the types. In this way the types on the ?board are made as level as a grindstone. If only two or three books are ?printed, the advantage of this method is not conspicuous. But when tens or hundreds ?of books are printed in this way, the speed will be greatly quickened and its ?convenience and efficiency will be fully realized. Two iron boards are often prepared. ?When one is in use, the types are made and arranged for the other. When the ?first board finishes its printing task, the second one will be ready for use. By alternatively using the two boards, the printing of a book will be soon ?finished. In order to speed up the printing process, every character has ?several types. For example, characters most commonly in use such as “之” ? (meaning “of”) and “和” (meaning “and”) have ?more than 20 types for repetitive use. When these types are not in use, each ?of them will be labeled and stored up in the wooden shelves. When special ?characters that are not commonly used are needed, they will be made right on ?the spot. Such earthen types can be easily hardened by fire. Wood is not used ?to make types because the grain of wood is different from each other and it ?will bend upward or downward when being moistened. Furthermore, the ?ingredients such as pine resin, wax and paper ash cannot be taken off if it ?is glued onto the wood. As far as the ingredients glued onto the types made ?of clay are concerned, they can easily melt in the fire and the types will ?drop off automatically with a gentle whisk. After Bi Sheng died, some of the ?types made by him were collected by my nephews, which are still well ?preserved until today.

【Notes】

[1] Feng Dao (882 – 954 AD) was a famous prime minister in the Five Dynasties.

[2] The canonical Confucian classics: Shi Jing (Book of Odes), Shang Shu (Book of Documents), Li Ji (Book of Rites), Zhou Yi (Book of Changes), and Chun Qiu (Spring and Autumn Annals).

[3] The era name of emperor Song Renzong from 1041 to 1048.

[4] Here refers to scholarly civilians who are not officials.

[5] Bi Sheng (972 －1051 AD), inventor of movable type printing.

Article by Tao Steven Zheng（鄭濤）