Four Great Inventions

Four Great Inventions
Five major steps in papermaking, outlined by Cai Lun in AD 105
Traditional Chinese	四大發明
Simplified Chinese	四大发明
Literal meaning	four great inventions
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin sì dà fā míng Wade–Giles ssu4 ta4 fa1 ming2 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization sei3 daai6 faat3 ming4 Jyutping sei3 daai6 faat3 ming4

Part of a series on the
History of science and technology in China
List of discoveries List of inventions the Four Great Inventions
By subject Agriculture sericulture Alchemy Architecture classic gardens bridges Astronomy Calendar Cartography Ceramics Coinage Mathematics Units of measurement Traditional medicine herbology Metallurgy Military navy Printing Silk industry Transport navigation
By era Neolithic and early Bronze Age Han Tang Song Yuan People's Republic agriculture space
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The Four Great Inventions are inventions from ancient China that are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and as symbols of ancient China's advanced science and technology. They are the compass, gunpowder, papermaking and printing.^[1]

These four inventions had a profound impact on the development of civilization throughout the world. However, some modern Chinese scholars have opined that other Chinese inventions were perhaps more sophisticated and had a greater impact on Chinese civilization – the Four Great Inventions serve merely to highlight the technological interaction between East and West.^[2]