天工開物·殺青（節選）
The Works of Heaven: Killing the Green, on Paper (excerpt)
Song Yingxing 宋應星 (1587–c. 1666)
Ming · 1637

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-002043 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/002043
Rights: Late Ming text printed in 1637; the author died about 1666. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/天工開物/殺青第十三 (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/song-yingxing-killing-the-green

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宋子曰：物象精華，乾坤微妙，古傳今而華達夷，使後起含生，目授而心識之，承載者以何物哉？君與民通，師將弟命，馮藉呫呫口語，其與幾何？持寸符，握半卷，終事詮旨，風行而氷釋焉。覆載之間之藉有楮先生也，聖頑咸嘉頼之矣。身爲竹骨與木皮，殺其青而白乃見，萬卷百家，基從此起。其精在此，而其粗效于障風護物之間。事已開于上古，而使漢、晉時人擅名記者，何其陋哉！


紙料

凡紙質，用楮樹（一名榖樹）皮與桑穰、芙蓉膜等諸物者爲皮紙，用竹麻者爲竹紙。精者極其潔白，供書文、印文、柬啓用；粗者爲火紙、包裹紙。所謂「殺青」，以斬竹得名；「汗青」以煮瀝得名；「簡」即已成紙名，乃煮竹成簡。後人遂疑削竹片以紀事，而又誤疑韋編爲皮條穿竹札也。秦火未經時，書籍繁甚，削竹能藏幾何？如西番用貝樹造成紙葉，中華又疑以貝葉書經典。不知樹葉離根即憔，與削竹同一可哂也。


造竹紙

凡造竹紙，事出南方，而閩省獨專其盛。當筍生之後，看視山窩深淺，其竹以將生枝葉者為上料。節界芒種，則登山斫伐，截斷五、七尺長，就於本山開塘一口，注水其中漂浸。恐塘水有涸時，則用竹梘通引，不斷瀑流注入。浸至百日之外，加功槌洗，洗去粗殼與青皮（是名殺青），其中竹穰形同苧麻樣。用上好石灰化汁塗漿，入楻桶下煮，火以八日八夜為率。

凡煮竹，下鍋用徑四尺者，鍋上泥與石灰捏弦，高闊如廣中煮鹽牢盆樣，中可載水十餘石。上蓋楻桶，其圍丈五尺，其徑四尺餘。蓋定受煮，八日已足。歇火一日，揭楻取出竹麻，入清水漂塘之內洗淨。其塘底面四維，皆用木板合縫砌完，以妨泥汙（造粗紙者不須為此）。洗淨，用柴灰漿過，再入釜中，其上按平，平鋪稻草灰寸許。桶內水滾沸，即取出別桶之中，仍以灰汁淋下。倘水冷，燒滾再淋。如是十餘日，自然臭爛。取出入臼受舂（山國皆有水碓），舂至形同泥面，傾入槽內。

凡抄紙槽，上合方斗，尺寸闊狹，槽視簾，簾視紙。竹麻已成，槽內清水浸浮其面三寸許，入紙藥水汁於其中（形同桃竹葉，方語無定名），則水乾自成潔白。凡抄紙簾，用刮磨絕細竹絲編成。展卷張開時，下有縱橫架匡。兩手持簾，入水蕩起竹麻，入於簾內。厚薄由人手法，輕蕩則薄，重蕩則厚。竹料浮簾之頃，水從四際淋下槽內，然後覆簾落紙於板上，疊積千萬張。數滿，則上以板壓，俏繩入棍，如榨酒法，使水氣淨盡流乾。然後，以輕細銅鑷，逐張揭起焙乾。凡焙紙，先以土磚砌成夾巷，下以磚蓋巷地面，數塊以往，即空一磚。火薪從頭穴燒發，火氣從磚隙透巷，外磚盡熱。濕紙逐張貼上焙乾，揭起成帙。

近世闊幅者，名大四連，一時書文貴重。其廢紙洗去朱墨污穢，浸爛入槽再造，全省從前煮浸之力，依然成紙，耗亦不多。南方竹賤之國，不以為然。北方即寸條片角，在地隨手拾取再造，名曰還魂紙。竹與皮，精與粗，皆同之也。若火紙、糙紙、斬竹、煮麻、灰漿、水淋，皆同前法，唯脫簾之後，不用烘焙，壓水去濕，日曬成乾而已。

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宋子曰：物象精华，乾坤微妙，古传今而华达夷，使后起含生，目授而心识之，承载者以何物哉？君与民通，师将弟命，冯藉呫呫口语，其与几何？持寸符，握半卷，终事诠旨，风行而冰释焉。覆载之间之藉有楮先生也，圣顽咸嘉赖之矣。身为竹骨与木皮，杀其青而白乃见，万卷百家，基从此起。其精在此，而其粗效于障风护物之间。事已开于上古，而使汉、晋时人擅名记者，何其陋哉！


纸料

凡纸质，用楮树（一名榖树）皮与桑穰、芙蓉膜等诸物者为皮纸，用竹麻者为竹纸。精者极其洁白，供书文、印文、柬启用；粗者为火纸、包裹纸。所谓「杀青」，以斩竹得名；「汗青」以煮沥得名；「简」即已成纸名，乃煮竹成简。后人遂疑削竹片以纪事，而又误疑韦编为皮条穿竹札也。秦火未经时，书籍繁甚，削竹能藏几何？如西番用贝树造成纸叶，中华又疑以贝叶书经典。不知树叶离根即憔，与削竹同一可哂也。


造竹纸

凡造竹纸，事出南方，而闽省独专其盛。当笋生之后，看视山窝深浅，其竹以将生枝叶者为上料。节界芒种，则登山斫伐，截断五、七尺长，就于本山开塘一口，注水其中漂浸。恐塘水有涸时，则用竹枧通引，不断瀑流注入。浸至百日之外，加功槌洗，洗去粗壳与青皮（是名杀青），其中竹穰形同苎麻样。用上好石灰化汁涂浆，入楻桶下煮，火以八日八夜为率。

凡煮竹，下锅用径四尺者，锅上泥与石灰捏弦，高阔如广中煮盐牢盆样，中可载水十余石。上盖楻桶，其围丈五尺，其径四尺余。盖定受煮，八日已足。歇火一日，揭楻取出竹麻，入清水漂塘之内洗净。其塘底面四维，皆用木板合缝砌完，以妨泥污（造粗纸者不须为此）。洗净，用柴灰浆过，再入釜中，其上按平，平铺稻草灰寸许。桶内水滚沸，即取出别桶之中，仍以灰汁淋下。倘水冷，烧滚再淋。如是十余日，自然臭烂。取出入臼受舂（山国皆有水碓），舂至形同泥面，倾入槽内。

凡抄纸槽，上合方斗，尺寸阔狭，槽视帘，帘视纸。竹麻已成，槽内清水浸浮其面三寸许，入纸药水汁于其中（形同桃竹叶，方语无定名），则水干自成洁白。凡抄纸帘，用刮磨绝细竹丝编成。展卷张开时，下有纵横架匡。两手持帘，入水荡起竹麻，入于帘内。厚薄由人手法，轻荡则薄，重荡则厚。竹料浮帘之顷，水从四际淋下槽内，然后覆帘落纸于板上，叠积千万张。数满，则上以板压，俏绳入棍，如榨酒法，使水气净尽流干。然后，以轻细铜镊，逐张揭起焙干。凡焙纸，先以土砖砌成夹巷，下以砖盖巷地面，数块以往，即空一砖。火薪从头穴烧发，火气从砖隙透巷，外砖尽热。湿纸逐张贴上焙干，揭起成帙。

近世阔幅者，名大四连，一时书文贵重。其废纸洗去朱墨污秽，浸烂入槽再造，全省从前煮浸之力，依然成纸，耗亦不多。南方竹贱之国，不以为然。北方即寸条片角，在地随手拾取再造，名曰还魂纸。竹与皮，精与粗，皆同之也。若火纸、糙纸、斩竹、煮麻、灰浆、水淋，皆同前法，唯脱帘之后，不用烘焙，压水去湿，日晒成干而已。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

Master Song says: the essence of the images of things and the subtleties of heaven and earth are passed on from antiquity to the present and from China to other lands, so that those born later can take them in with their eyes and know them in their hearts. What is it that carries them? Rulers communicate with the people, teachers give instructions to their students; if they relied only on the chatter of spoken words, how far would they reach? But take a few inches of writing, hold half a scroll, and the purpose is explained from beginning to end, spreading like the wind and clearing doubts like melting ice. Everything between heaven and earth depends on Master Paper, and the wise and the dull alike are grateful for him. His body is made of bamboo and of bark. Kill the green, and the white appears; ten thousand scrolls and a hundred schools of thought are founded on this. Its finest use is here; its coarser uses are in keeping out the wind and wrapping things. The craft began in high antiquity. How narrow it was of the people of Han and Jin to claim the credit for it in their records.


Materials for Paper

For paper, the bark of the paper mulberry tree (also called the gu tree), together with such things as mulberry inner bark and the bark of the cotton rose, makes bark paper; bamboo fibre makes bamboo paper. The fine grades are perfectly white and are used for writing, printing, letters and invitations; the coarse grades become paper for burning and wrapping paper. What is called "killing the green" takes its name from cutting bamboo; "sweating the green" takes its name from boiling and draining; and "jian", the word for a slip, was the name for finished paper, made by boiling bamboo into sheets. Later people came to suspect that it meant whittling slips of bamboo to keep records on, and wrongly supposed that the "leather binding" of the old books meant strips of leather threaded through bamboo slips. Before the burning of the books by the Qin, there were a great many books. How many could whittled bamboo have held? Likewise, in the western lands they make paper leaves from the pattra tree, and in China people suppose instead that the sutras were written on the tree's leaves. They do not know that a leaf withers as soon as it leaves its root. It is as laughable as the whittled bamboo.


Making Bamboo Paper

The making of bamboo paper comes from the south, and Fujian province alone excels in it. After the shoots have grown, people look at how deep the hollows in the hills are; the best material is bamboo about to put out branches and leaves. Around the solar term Grain in Ear they climb the hills and cut the bamboo, cut it into lengths of five to seven feet, dig a pool right there on the hill, fill it with water and soak the bamboo in it. In case the water in the pool should dry up, they bring water through bamboo pipes, so that a stream flows in without stopping. After soaking for more than a hundred days, the bamboo is beaten and washed to remove the coarse husk and the green skin (this is what is called killing the green). The pulp inside looks like ramie. It is coated with a liquid of the best lime and put into a cooking tub, and boiled over a fire for eight days and eight nights as the rule.

For boiling the bamboo, the pan used is four feet across. Above the pan a rim is built up of clay mixed with lime, as high and wide as the salt-boiling pans of Guangdong, so that it can hold more than ten piculs of water. A cooking tub is set over it, fifteen feet around and more than four feet across. Once covered, it is boiled, and eight days is enough. After the fire has been stopped for a day, the cover is lifted and the bamboo fibre is taken out and washed clean in a rinsing pool of clear water. The bottom and four sides of this pool are all lined with close-fitting wooden boards, to keep out mud and dirt (this is not necessary for coarse paper). After washing, the fibre is soaked in a liquid of wood ash, put back into the pan, pressed level, and covered with about an inch of rice-straw ash. When the water in the tub boils, the fibre is taken out and put into another tub, and the ash liquid is poured over it again. If the water cools, it is reheated and poured over once more. After a dozen days or so of this, it rots and smells. It is then taken out and pounded in a mortar (in the hill country there are always water-driven trip-hammers) until it looks like dough, and then poured into a vat.

The vat for making paper is shaped like a square bushel measure. Its size depends on the mould, and the mould depends on the size of the paper. When the bamboo fibre is ready, clear water is added to about three inches above it, and a paper medicine is put in (made from a plant like the peach-bamboo leaf, which has no fixed name in the local speech), so that when the water is gone the paper will be clean and white. The paper mould is woven from very fine strips of bamboo, scraped and polished. When it is unrolled and spread out, there is a frame of cross bars beneath it. Holding the mould in both hands, the maker dips it into the water and lifts up the bamboo fibre so that it settles on the mould. The thickness depends on the maker's hand: a light dip makes thin paper, a heavy dip makes thick paper. While the fibre floats on the mould, water drains away on all four sides back into the vat. Then the mould is turned over and the sheet laid down on a board, and the sheets are piled up in thousands. When the count is complete, a board is placed on top to press them, and a rope and a lever are used, as in pressing wine, until all the water has run out. Then, with fine light copper tweezers, the sheets are lifted one by one and dried over heat. For drying, a narrow double-walled passage is first built of clay bricks, with bricks laid over the floor of the passage; every few bricks, one is left out. The fire is lit at the mouth of the passage, and the heat comes through the gaps in the bricks, so that the outer bricks all become hot. The wet sheets are pasted on one by one to dry, then peeled off and gathered into bundles.

In recent times the wide sheets called Great Fourfold have been prized for writing. Waste paper can be washed clean of red and black ink and dirt, soaked until soft, put back into the vat and made again. This saves all the labour of boiling and soaking and still makes paper, with little loss. In the south, where bamboo is cheap, people do not bother. In the north, even scraps and corners picked up from the ground are made again, and this is called paper of the returning soul. Bamboo and bark, fine and coarse, are all made in the same way. For burning paper and rough paper, the cutting of the bamboo, the boiling of the fibre, the lime liquid and the pouring of water are all done in the same way as above, except that after the sheets are taken off the mould they are not dried over heat, but are pressed to remove the water and dried in the sun.