Mei Wending wrote many books. He was a mathematician who communicated China and the West from top to bottom in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. He made great contributions to the excavation and arrangement of ancient traditional mathematics and the introduction and evacuation of western mathematics. There are thirteen kinds of mathematical works compiled by him in Mei Series, with as many as 40 volumes. Among them, the six volumes of equation theory were completed in1672; 1678 to complete two volumes of preparation; The Outline of a Flat Triangle, five volumes; Five volumes of Arc Triangle were completed on1684; There is a volume of Pythagorean examples and general geometric solutions, and four volumes of geometric supplements are completed in 1692. The first episode of Shaoguang was also completed at 1692; In the second year, I completed five volumes of "Written Calculation"; Five volumes of Xiaomi Ruler in the Ring were completed on1700; The Measurement of Blockage, Volume II, and Fiona Fang's Power Product Theory, Volume I, were written in 17 10; The two volumes of Calculation Interpretation were completed in 17 17. These books combine Chinese and western mathematics into one, and ancient and modern mathematics into one, explaining in simple terms that "readers can know what is right without asking in detail." It is a rare masterpiece in the history of Chinese mathematics. And Mei's doyen spirit of devoting herself to the development of mathematics is more worthy of admiration by future generations. In particular, his attitude towards Chinese and western mathematics, that is, "learning from others' strengths and being well-founded", deserves our in-depth study.
Mei Wending's grandson, Mei Juecheng, is another giant in the Mei family. 176 1 year, he compiled 60 volumes of Mei series, including 40 volumes of his grandfather's mathematical masterpieces. At the same time, Mei Cheng also edited the Essence of Mathematics, which was called an encyclopedia of mathematics at that time. This book was edited by scholars such as He Meicheng of Kangxi during the reign of Kangxi 100, the mathematical part of the astronomical algorithm book "The Origin of the Calendar", that is, 17 12. The book is divided into three volumes: the first volume is five volumes, the second volume is forty volumes, and the eighth volume is four kinds of mathematical tables. Its contents include the main western mathematical knowledge introduced into China at that time and some important achievements of ancient calculation in China.
This book is an important work when western mathematics was introduced into China and entered the second stage. Its position in the history of Chinese mathematics is higher than the Elements of Geometry translated by Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi, and the Homonym Calculation translated by Matteo Ricci and Li Zhizao.
I admire the ancients' pursuit of the highest realm of mathematics, but to be a real mathematician, you need to know mathematics in addition to diligence and wisdom. As Mei Wending said: "The number of husbands is so reasonable and the calendar is so smooth that the law can be discussed accordingly. It should be clear how to distinguish the old from the new. In excellent scholars, they know their differences and strange similarities. If we go to China and the west, we will be able to explore the details of the arc triangle and the simplicity of Guo Tu. Let's gather all the leaders and see if it will pass, take its essence and not catch its name. " This pursuit of truth and broad tolerance are deeply embedded in my heart.