天工開物·自序
The Works of Heaven and the Inception of Things: Author’s Preface
Song Yingxing 宋應星 (1587–c. 1666)
Ming · 1637

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-006007 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/006007
Rights: Ming dynasty prose, printed in 1637; the author died around 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/自序 (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-tiangong-kaiwu-preface

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天覆地載，物數號萬，而事亦因之曲成而不遺。豈人力也哉？

事物而既萬矣，必待口授目成而後識之，其與幾何？萬事萬物之中，其無益生人與有益者，各載其半。

世有聰明博物者，稠人推焉。乃棗梨之花未賞，而臆度「楚萍」；釜鬵之範鮮經，而侈談「莒鼎」；畫工好圖鬼魅而惡犬馬，即鄭僑、晉華，豈足為烈哉？

幸生聖明極盛之世，滇南車馬，縱貫遼陽；嶺徼宦商，衡遊薊北。為方萬里中，何事何物不可見見聞聞？若為士而生東晉之初、南宋之季，共視燕、秦、晉、豫方物，已成夷產，從互市而得裘帽，何殊肅慎之矢也？且夫王孫帝子生長深宮，御廚玉粒正香，而欲觀耒耜，尚宮錦衣方剪，而想像機絲。當斯時也，披圖一觀，如獲重寶矣！

年來著書一種，名曰《天工開物卷》。傷哉貧也，欲購奇考證，而乏洛下之資；欲招致同人，商略贋真，而缺陳思之館。隨其孤陋見聞，藏諸方寸而寫之，豈有當哉？吾友凃伯聚先生，誠意動天，心靈格物。凡古今一言之嘉，寸長可取，必勤勤懇懇而契合焉。昨歲《畫音歸正》，由先生而授梓。茲有後命，復取此卷而繼起為之，其亦夙緣之所召哉！卷分前後，乃「貴五穀而賤金玉」之義。《觀象》、《樂律》二卷，其道太精，自揣非吾事，故臨梓刪去。

丐大業文人，棄擲案頭，此書于功名進取毫不相關也。

時崇禎丁丑孟夏月，奉新宋應星書於家食之問堂

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天覆地载，物数号万，而事亦因之曲成而不遗。岂人力也哉？

事物而既万矣，必待口授目成而后识之，其与几何？万事万物之中，其无益生人与有益者，各载其半。

世有聪明博物者，稠人推焉。乃枣梨之花未赏，而臆度「楚萍」；釜鬵之范鲜经，而侈谈「莒鼎」；画工好图鬼魅而恶犬马，即郑侨、晋华，岂足为烈哉？

幸生圣明极盛之世，滇南车马，纵贯辽阳；岭徼宦商，衡游蓟北。为方万里中，何事何物不可见见闻闻？若为士而生东晋之初、南宋之季，共视燕、秦、晋、豫方物，已成夷产，从互市而得裘帽，何殊肃慎之矢也？且夫王孙帝子生长深宫，御厨玉粒正香，而欲观耒耜，尚宫锦衣方剪，而想像机丝。当斯时也，披图一观，如获重宝矣！

年来著书一种，名曰《天工开物卷》。伤哉贫也，欲购奇考证，而乏洛下之资；欲招致同人，商略赝真，而缺陈思之馆。随其孤陋见闻，藏诸方寸而写之，岂有当哉？吾友涂伯聚先生，诚意动天，心灵格物。凡古今一言之嘉，寸长可取，必勤勤恳恳而契合焉。昨岁《画音归正》，由先生而授梓。兹有后命，复取此卷而继起为之，其亦夙缘之所召哉！卷分前后，乃「贵五谷而贱金玉」之义。《观象》、《乐律》二卷，其道太精，自揣非吾事，故临梓删去。

丐大业文人，弃掷案头，此书于功名进取毫不相关也。

时崇祯丁丑孟夏月，奉新宋应星书于家食之问堂

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

Heaven covers and earth bears up. Things are numbered by the ten thousand, and affairs follow from them, each brought to completion in its own way and none left out. Is this the work of human strength?

Since things and affairs number ten thousand, if we had to be taught each by word of mouth and see each with our own eyes before we knew it, how many could we know? Among the ten thousand affairs and things, those of no use to human life and those of use make up about half each.

There are clever and widely read people in the world whom the crowd looks up to. Yet they have never looked at the blossoms of the jujube and the pear, and they speculate about the duckweed fruit of Chu; they have hardly ever seen a mould for a cooking pot, and they hold forth on the tripod of Ju. They are like painters who love to paint ghosts and goblins and dislike painting dogs and horses. Even if they were as learned as Zichan of Zheng or Zhang Hua of Jin, what would there be to admire?

I am fortunate to be born in an age of enlightened rule at its height. Carts and horses from the south of Yunnan travel straight through to Liaoyang; officials and merchants from the southern mountain borders journey freely to the north of Ji. Within these ten thousand li, what thing or affair is there that one cannot see and hear? Had a scholar been born at the beginning of the Eastern Jin or the end of the Southern Song, the local products of Yan, Qin, Jin and Yu would all have become goods from another country, and furs and hats obtained through border markets would have been as strange to him as the arrows of the Sushen. Or think of the princes and royal children who grow up deep in the palace: while the jade-white rice of the imperial kitchen is fragrant before them, they wish to see a plough; while the brocade robes of the palace are being cut, they try to imagine the loom and the thread. At such a time, to open a picture and look at it is like finding a great treasure.

In recent years I have written a book, called The Works of Heaven and the Inception of Things. Alas for poverty: I wanted to buy rare things to examine and verify, and lacked the means of a rich man of Luoyang; I wanted to gather friends to weigh what was true and what was false, and lacked a hall to receive them. I wrote from my own narrow and rustic knowledge, kept in my heart; how could it be adequate? My friend Mr. Tu Boju is so sincere that his intent moves heaven, and his mind reaches into the principles of things. Wherever there is one good phrase, ancient or modern, or the smallest merit worth taking, he takes it up with diligent and earnest goodwill. Last year my Correct Sounds of Painting was cut for printing through him. Now he has asked again, and taken up this book to carry it on in the same way; this too must be the work of some old affinity. The book is divided into a first and a last part, in the spirit of valuing the five grains and making light of gold and jade. The two chapters on observing the heavens and on music and pitch, whose principles are too fine, I judged were not my business, and I removed them when the book went to the press.

As for the learned men intent on high office: throw it aside on your desks. This book has nothing at all to do with rank or advancement.

Written by Song Yingxing of Fengxin in the first month of summer, in the dingchou year of the Chongzhen reign, in the Hall of Questions of One Who Eats at Home.