I

The Xu family, Duke of Wei, had more than a dozen gardens in Nanjing.

The editing team of "Datong Zhengyin" was arranged in Sijinyi East Garden, where there are more than ten pavilions alone.

Fang Yizhi first returned to his hometown in Tongcheng, and then returned to Nanjing with several large boxes of manuscripts to apply for a job as an editor. Among several large boxes of manuscripts, there are about two or three kilograms of manuscripts dedicated to the study of phonological knowledge.

He has finished compiling "Qie Yun Sheng Yuan", "Medical Society" has also been compiled, and "Abridged and Supplemented Materia Medica" still needs to visit and collect information.

As for "Little Knowledge of Physics", it is currently being written. He has been writing it for nine years.

"Excuse me, is Mr. Yushan here?" Fang Yizhi asked.

The concierge, a disabled soldier, rolled out a brochure and said, "Register yourself, state your name and place of origin, and you can get in after receiving the sign."

Fang Yizhi carried the manuscript into the garden. In the lobby of a pavilion, more than twenty people were arguing.

When Fang Yizhi came to the lobby, no one paid attention to him because everyone was busy arguing.

Standing nearby and listening carefully, Fang Yizhi was stunned.

How could anyone compile the correct pronunciation like this?

Modern Chinese consists of initial consonants, finals, and tones, and ancient Chinese is similar.

However, the detailed specifications of Yayan in the past dynasties only include the rhyme rules for initial consonants and finals, and the requirements for tones are very general. Therefore, the same word can have similar pronunciation in different dialects, achieving the effect of "harmony but difference" and mutual communication.

That is, only the sound category is constrained, not the sound value.

Zhao Han's request was outrageous. He had to determine the phonetic value of each word!

Qian Qianyi and the others were sitting together, almost losing their minds. Even if Jianghuai dialect is used as a model, the accents of various states and counties are slightly different. Which hometown's pronunciation value should be used as the standard?

So far, there has been zero progress in compilation. We have been arguing all day long and no one wants to give in.

It is now divided into two major groups. One group believes that Nanjing dialect should be used as the standard, and the other group believes that Huizhou dialect should be used as the standard. If Fang Yizhi joins again, there will probably be another Tongcheng faction.

Liu Rushi was upset by the noise, clapped her hands and said, "Everyone, listen to me, listen to me!"

After shouting for a long time, everyone finally shut up.

Ruan Dacheng also joined the editing team. He has a status as a dramatist. If he can write operas, he must be proficient in phonology.

Liu Rushi smiled and said: "Why don't we invite a top-notch opera troupe to sing the opera one by one. Let them use different rhymes and tones, and recite the lyrics several times. Whichever one is pleasant to the ear, easy to say and remember, we will choose which one is the best. allow."

"Haha, this is a wonderful statement!" Qian Qianyi clapped his hands in admiration.

Wu Bing, the author of "Da Tong Ji", also came. He couldn't help but said: "I am also a writer of operas, and I do not discriminate against actors. I can compile a correct pronunciation for a country, and it will be promoted all over the world in the future. It will be determined based on the lyrics of the opera troupe." , does it seem a little un dignified?"

"Otherwise, otherwise," Ruan Dacheng said, "when it comes to pitch and pronunciation, who can be better than an actor? Let them sing and recite various tones several times, and then we, the people, can choose the one that sounds good, is easy to remember, and is easy to say."

It seems like child's play, but it is the most useful.

Whether it's Qian Qianyi or Liu Rushi, they definitely speak with a dialect accent. However, those famous actors and actresses all speak well and can be regarded as having the level of announcers.

Liu Rushi's proposal was unanimously approved!

As a result, this group of people compiled "Mandarin", living in landscape gardens and listening to opera troupes singing every day. Not to mention how nourishing their life was.

Fang Yizhi put down the manuscript, clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Yushan!"

"Haha, here comes the secret, and you have another great talent." Qian Qianyi said with a smile.

Liu Rushi looked at Fang Yizhi carefully: "Is this Fang Mizhi?"

Qian Qianyi introduced: "Mi Zhi, this is Liu Yin and Liu Rushi, the vice president of the compilation of Datong Zhengyin."

"I've met Mr. Liu." Fang Yizhi handed over his hand.

Liu Rushi bowed in return and said, "Mr. Fang, I'm afraid you have to go to Jiangxi. The headquarter is asking everywhere about your whereabouts."

Fang Yizhi was stunned: "Mr. Zhao is asking around?"

Liu Rushi explained: "Someone in Jiangxi presented a strange book "Institute of Physics". Mr. Zhao inquired curiously and learned that this book was published by you, and that you are also writing similar physics books. Mr. Zhao wants to discuss physics with you. "

"I see." Fang Yizhi found it interesting that a hero like Zhao Han actually liked physics.

Someone previously presented the "Book of Agriculture" and was appreciated by Zhao Han.

Chen Zilong presented "The Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" and was also appreciated by Zhao Han.

So scholars from all over the country rushed to Ji'an Mansion and presented a mess of strange books.

Someone presented "Institute of Physics". The author of this book, Wang Xuan, was from Jiangxi and was Fang Yizhi's teacher. After the "Institute of Physics" was written, Fang Yizhi was also responsible for publishing it.

Wang Xuan has died of illness, but Fang Yizhi is still alive.

Moreover, Fang Yizhi believed that "Institute of Physics" was not comprehensive enough, and some of its contents were open to question, and he wanted to write a better one himself.

Fang Yizhi left the draft of "Qieyun Shengyuan" and took a few boxes of manuscripts with him and took a boat to Jiangxi.

Fang Yizhi, who came back from the north, felt even more deeply when he came to Jiangxi. What kind of hell are the people in the north living?

After arriving in Ji'an, Fang Yizhi handed over the greeting card and was immediately summoned, which made him a little flattered.

"Greetings to the main town!"

"Sit down, no need to be formal."

Zhao Han had no time to chat, so he took out the "Institute of Physics" from the cabinet and commented: "This book is quite rare, but it is not deep enough or accurate enough."

Fang Yizhi hurriedly presented the manuscript: "General Manager, this is the draft of my "Little Knowledge of Physics". I started writing it nine years ago, but it has not been completed yet. Many contents need to be observed and verified."

Before traveling through time, Zhao Han had never read "Little Knowledge of Physics".

Moreover, the draft produced by Fang Yizhi is inconsistent with the "Little Knowledge of Physics" of later generations. Because Fang Yizhi lost most of the original draft when he fled south after the Manchus entered the country, many contents were rewritten.

At that time, Fang Yizhi must have been in despair. Not only was his country and family destroyed, but the manuscript he had written for more than ten years was also lost.

The secretary brought a bowl of tea, and Fang Yizhi sat beside him, drinking tea and waiting.

Zhao Han opened the drafts. The first chapter was the summary of the book. Moreover, the ink is relatively new, probably written by Fang Yizhi a few days ago, specifically for Zhao Han to read.

This summary can be summarized into the following points:

First, the world is made of matter.

Second, matter is formed by the movement of "qi". It is wrong to discuss "reason" without "qi". (Confucianism has always had a dispute over Qi.)

Third, laws can be summarized for all things. Unknowable things can be speculated based on known things and specific laws, and even the entire universe can be speculated on.

Fourth, everything has its own nature and laws, which require observation and verification.

Fifth, during the Wanli period, Western culture was introduced to China. Western learning has a big problem. It is too obsessed with observation and verification, but neglects to explore and summarize the laws of how things work.

Zhao Han couldn't help but laugh after reading the summary. Fang Yizhi actually despised Western natural science, believing that Western science was superficial and ignored the exploration and summary of laws.

Isn’t this kind of argument the criticism of ancient Chinese science by later generations?

It's just the other way around.

"Tongji, quality test, these two words are well used!" Zhao Han praised.

Fang Yizhi put down the tea cup and handed it over: "It's just a family talk."

Tongji: The internal laws that run through everything.

Quality testing: observing and studying the morphological manifestations of things.

Zhao Han changed the topic and asked: "How to contact Tongji and quality control?"

Fang Yizhi thought for a while and replied: "Empirical evidence."

Zhao Han opened the text of the draft, and he was overwhelmed by the opening chapter, which was full of mysterious and mysterious astronomical phenomena and qi theory.

Zhao Han skipped it and went to read "Light Theory".

Fang Yizhi believes that the sky condenses the essence of its yang attribute to form the sun. The moon and stars, as well as everything in the world, including humans, use sunlight.

These statements are half wrong and half right.

The moon does borrow light from the sun, but the stars shine on their own. Grass and trees do rely on sunlight, but artificial fire is not a reproduction of sunlight.

Next, Fang Yizhi collectively referred to the reflection and refraction of light as the phenomenon of "transformation of light".

The content of astronomy is very interesting. Fang Yizhi believes that the round sky and the square place only explain the virtues of heaven and earth. The earth is like a blown bean, located in the center of the universe.

Well, geocentric.

Zhao Han did not continue to read, closed the manuscript and said: "I think that in studying physics, general geometry and quality testing should go hand in hand. If you cannot conduct empirical experiments, it is best not to write a book and establish a theory. This is misleading others and yourself."

Fang Yizhi was a little unconvinced and asked, "What do you think is wrong with the discussion?"

"It's best not to mix Yin, Yang and Five Elements into them, let alone regard them as general principles (the laws of all things)." Zhao Han said.

Fang Yizhi asked: "Are the Yin Yang and Five Elements wrong?"

Zhao Han explained: "Whether it's right or wrong, don't worry about it for now, and don't apply everything to Yin-Yang and the Five Elements."

After reading the first article of "Tips on Physics", Zhao Han finally knew what went wrong.

Fang Yizhi was so deeply influenced by the traditional cosmology that he used Yin-Yang and the Five Elements to explain the universe, which directly misunderstood the framework of the physical world. Going down this road, it will be difficult to produce modern science. On the contrary, Western methods are more useful.

Seeing that Fang Yizhi remained silent, Zhao Han asked, "Do you know mathematics and geometry?"

"Yes." Fang Yizhi nodded.

Zhao Han guided: "Everything is related to geometry, why not express it in mathematics?"

"How to express mathematics?" Fang Yizhi was confused.

Zhao Han pointed at the inkstone in front of him and said with a smile: "Let's study the simplest phenomenon first, such as this square inkstone. Why does it move when I push it?"

Fang Yizhi frowned and said, "It's natural to move under force."

"What force did it receive?" Zhao Han asked.

Fang Yizhi replied: "The boosting power of Zong Zhen's fingers."

Zhao Han asked: "Since you are under force, why did you stop?"

Fang Yizhi replied: "If the general town no longer pushes it, it will no longer receive any force and will naturally stop."

Zhao Han asked again: "But after I pushed, my finger was released, why did it continue to move a certain distance? Logically speaking, when I released my finger, the inkstone should stop immediately."

Fang Yizhi fell into deep thought.