沈括《活板》原文和翻译
活 板 作者：沈括
《活板》文言文原文
板印书籍，唐人尚未盛为之。五代时始印五经，已后典籍皆为板本。
庆历中，有布衣毕昇，又为活板。其法用胶泥刻字，薄如钱唇，每字为一印，火烧令坚先设一铁板，其上以松脂、蜡和纸灰之类冒之。欲印，则以一铁范置铁板上，乃密布字印，满铁范为一板，持就火炀之;药稍熔，则以一平板按其面，则字平如砥。若止印三二本，未为简易;若印数十百千本，则极为神速。常作二铁板，一板印刷，一板已自布字，此印者才毕，则第二板已具，更互用之，瞬息可就。每一字皆有数印，如“之”“也”等字，每字有二十余印，以备一板内有重复者。不用，则以纸帖之，每韵为一帖，木格贮之。有奇字素无备者，旋刻之，以草火烧，瞬息可成。不以木为之者，文理有疏密，沾水则高下不平，兼与药相粘，不可取;不若燔土，用讫再火令药熔，以手拂之，其印自落，殊不沾污。
昇死，其印为予群从所得，至今保藏。
活板常用翻译 译 文
用刻板印刷书籍，唐朝人还没有大规模采用它。五代时才开始印刷五经，以后的各种图书都是雕板印刷本。
庆历年间，有位平民毕昇，又创造了活板。它的方法是用胶泥刻成字，字薄得像铜钱的边缘，每个字制成一个字模，用火来烧使它坚硬。先设置一块铁板，它的上面用松脂、蜡混合纸灰这一灰东西覆盖它。想要印刷，就拿一个铁框子放在铁板上，然后密密地排列字模，排满一铁框就作为一板，拿着它靠近火烤它;药物稍微熔化，就拿一块平板按压它的表面，那么所有排在板上的字模就平展得像磨刀石一样。如果只印刷三两本，不能算是简便;如果印刷几十乃至成百上千本，就特别快。印刷时通常制作两块铁板，一块板正在印刷，另一块板已经另外排上字模，这一块板印刷刚刚印完，那第二板已经准备好了，两块交替使用，极短的时间就可以完成。每一个字都有几个字模，像“之”、“也”等字，每个字有二十多个字模，用来防备一块板里面有重复出现的字。不用时，就用纸条做的标签分类标出它们，每一个韵部制作一个标签，用木格储存它们。有生僻字平时没有准备的，马上把它刻出来，用草火烧烤，很快可以制成。不拿木头制作活字模的原因，是木头的纹理有的疏松有的细密，沾了水就高低不平，加上同药物互相粘连，不能取下来;不如用胶泥烧制字模，使用完毕再用火烤，使药物熔化，用手擦试它，那些字模就自行脱落，一点也不会被药物弄脏。
毕昇死后，他的字模被我的堂兄弟和侄子们得到了，到现在还珍藏着。
活板翻译英文版-加强学习用
Bi Sheng
Shen Kuo
Block printing was not widespread in the Tang Dynasty. After Feng Dao (1) printed the Five classics (2), all early books and records were handed down in woodblock editions. In the Qingli reign Bi Sheng, a commoner, invented typesetting. The movable type was made of pieces of clay as thick as a coin, each engraved with a character and baked. An iron board was prepared beforehand, covered with a layer of pine resin, wax and ash of paper. An iron frame was put on the board and the clay type was set within the framework to make up a full printing plate; the pine resin was then melted and a wooden board was pressed over the type to make the whole plate as level as a whetstone.
This was not a simple method if only a couple of copies were to be printed, but the speed was marvellous if printing hundreds or thousands. The usual practice was that two iron boards were employed in the process: when the first plate was being printed, the second plate was set up; when the first was finished, the second was ready for use. The two plates were used in turn and the printing could be done very quickly. Each character had several duplicates and such characters as “zhi” and “ye ” had over a score in case they were repeated in one plate. When the type was not in use, it was pasted on a piece of paper and stored in wooden cases. If an uncommon character had no ready-made type, it would quickly be engraved and baked over a straw fire.
The type was not made of wood because wood grain is fine in some places but coarse in others, and therefore the surface would be uneven when moistened with ink. Moreover, when wooden type is glued onto the iron board with pine resin and wax, it is difficult to dismantle afterwards: it is simple, however, with baked clay type; all you have to do is melt the pine resin and wax with fire again and brush the type off the board, which is then completely clean.
After Bi Sheng died, his type came into the possession of one of my cousins and is still in his safe keeping.
