Ma Jun was a famous machinery manufacturing expert during the Three Kingdoms period. He had superb manufacturing skills. He invented and manufactured a variety of machinery such as silk weaving machines, waterwheels, and compass wheels. He became a very famous mechanical invention and manufacturing expert in ancient my country and was one of the most important figures in ancient machinery. Made a huge contribution to the development of manufacturing technology.
Ma Jun, courtesy name Deheng, was born in Fufeng (now southeast of Xingping, Shaanxi Province). He lived in the Cao Wei period of the Three Kingdoms era, and his birth and death dates are unknown. He was not good at words since he was a child and did not speak much, but he loved reading, thinking about problems, and was good at using his brain.
, especially likes to delve into problems in mechanical manufacturing; at the same time, he attaches great importance to practice and is diligent in doing things; in this way, he has developed the habit of absorbing new knowledge and has relatively proficient practical skills, which has laid a certain foundation for engaging in mechanical manufacturing.
.His early life was relatively difficult and poor, and he lived in the countryside for a long time, which gave him more opportunities to contact working people, and he had a deep understanding and experience of their suffering and heavy labor. Therefore, he was more concerned about the transformation of production tools, and
Determined to use his knowledge and technology to serve the people and improve their production and living conditions.
Ma Jun's research and manufacturing of machinery began with the reform of the damask weaving machine. The damask weaving machine is a jacquard machine for weaving "dampan", a jacquard silk fabric with a smooth surface, which was developed on the basis of my country's traditional silk fabrics. A relatively high-end product. my country's silk weaving technology has a long history. As early as the Shang Dynasty, plain weave and silk weaving methods were used to weave silk fabrics with geometric patterns. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were dozens of silk fabrics with high quality. There have also been great improvements. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, my country's silk weaving technology has reached a very high level. A large number of jacquard yarns and colorful brocades with warp threads from this period have been unearthed. The development of silk weaving technology was due to the improvement of weaving tools. Progress, plain weave looms appeared in the Shang Dynasty, and jacquard looms appeared in the Zhou Dynasty. At the end of the Warring States Period, pedal looms began to be used. This was an epoch-making achievement in silk weaving technology, because the pedal was used as a device for lifting and opening the heddle. , the hands can be freed to pick the shuttle, and the coordination efficiency of the hands and feet is greatly improved. By the Han Dynasty, the silk loom had been significantly improved, and a new jacquard machine appeared, that is, the 120-120 trace weaving damask machine. It takes 60 days for the damask weaving machine to complete a batch of loose damask, which is very inefficient, and the structure and operation of the loom are quite complicated. The damask weaving machines used in the Three Kingdoms have been simplified compared to the Han Dynasty, and there are "50 heddle-50 heddle" or "60 Heddle-60 Heddle" damask weaving machine. However, this damask weaving machine is still complex, bulky, inconvenient to operate, has high labor intensity and low production efficiency. It takes a month for the weavers to work hard to weave a piece of damask. Ma Jun felt that it was necessary to make further improvements and designed a simpler, more convenient and practical damask weaving machine to reduce the labor of craftsmen and weave more "dampan" to meet social needs. To this end, Ma Jun conducted research on the damask weaving machine. Through in-depth and detailed observation and research, he conducted a comprehensive analysis of the factors affecting the operation of the loom. He found that many of the colors and patterns of "damping" are symmetrically repeated. This can be used to greatly simplify the structure and operation of the loom. Therefore, he conducted repeated experiments and finally changed all the original damask weaving machines to 12-gauge machines. The structure of the damask weaving machine was greatly simplified, the operation was more convenient, the labor productivity was increased several times, and the damask weaved was of high quality. Colors, patterns, and quality have also improved. It is said that in the first year of Jingchu of Cao Wei (237 AD), Japanese envoys visited, and Emperor Wei Ming gave Japan a large number of silk fabrics, many of which were woven using Ma Jun's improved damask loom. This This highly efficient damask weaving machine soon spread to other regions and was widely used, promoting the development of China's textile industry.
Another outstanding achievement of Ma Jun was the creation of the long-lost compass car. The compass car, also known as the Sinan car, was the pioneer car used by ancient emperors when they traveled. There was a wooden man standing on the car, stretching his arms and pointing to the south. No matter how the car turned,
The arm always points to the south, so this car can be used to indicate the direction. This is an invention of the ancient working people. It appeared as early as the Western Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the famous scientist Zhang Heng once made the compass car again. Unfortunately, by
During the Three Kingdoms period, the compass was lost again, and many people no longer knew the structure and principle of the compass. During the Qinglong period of Emperor Wei Ming (233-236 AD), Ma Jun once held a small official position in the capital. One day, Ma Jun and some officials were at court.
During the debate in the room, the guide car was mentioned, and they had an argument about it. Gao Tanglong, the minister of Sanqi hall, and Qin Lang, the general of Xiaoqi, who were present at the time, believed that the records about the guide car in ancient books were fictitious and should not be taken as true. They were not made in ancient times.
What kind of compass? Ma Jun firmly believed that there was a compass in ancient times and disagreed with their view. He said: "It is very possible that a compass was made in ancient times, but we did not conduct in-depth research. In fact, making a compass is not what people imagined.
It's so difficult. As long as you are willing to work hard and study hard, you can make it." His words were ridiculed by Gao Tanglong and Qin Lang. They sarcastically said: "Mr. Jun's name is Jun, and his courtesy name is Deheng. Jun is the model of the utensil.
"Weighings are used to determine the weight of things; but you don't even distinguish the weight of things when you speak, how can it be used as a model?" (The wheel used to make pottery in ancient times was called Tao Jun.) Ma Jun retorted, "What's the use of empty arguments!"
It's better to do a trial production, and you can naturally tell who is right and who is wrong." Gao Tanglong and Qin Lang agreed to Ma Jun's request and reported the matter to the then Emperor Wei Ming, who ordered Ma Jun to conduct a trial production to clarify right from wrong. Ma Jun
Jun carefully studied the brief records in ancient books, put forward a preliminary idea after arduous study, and then carried out repeated tests with the help of many craftsmen, and finally made a compass in a short period of time. Gao Tanglong and Qin Lang were in fact
He was speechless in front of him and had to admit defeat. Ma Jun ended people's arguments with his practical results and won everyone's belief. From then on, the whole country admired his talents and skills.
After Ma Jun, many people made compass cars. For example, Zu Chongzhi, a great scientist in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, once repaired a compass car that only had an outer shell and added an internal structure. However, the records of compass cars in historical books are quite brief. The lack of specific mechanical structure and principles makes it difficult for future generations to imitate. After the compass was lost, its manufacture was equivalent to reinvention. In the Song Dynasty, the famous instrument expert Yan Su remade it in 1027 AD and Wu Deren successively in 11O7 AD. The "History of the Song Dynasty" has a relatively detailed and clear record of their manufacturing methods and the internal structure of the compass. According to this book, people know the general structure of the compass in the past dynasties. After liberation, the Chinese History Museum based on historical documents A replica of the compass car model is displayed in the China General History Exhibition Hall and can be seen when visiting the history museum. According to documentary records and modern research, the structure and principle of the compass car are roughly as follows: the compass car has two diameters of 6 The wheel has a 6-foot wheel, and the distance between the two wheels is also 6 feet. There is a small gear with 24 teeth on the inside of each wheel. There is a large flat wheel with 48 teeth in the wheel. There is a vertical shaft in the center of the wheel, and there is a small gear on the shaft. I; There is a small flat wheel on the upper end of the large flat wheel and the small gear beside the wheel. The small flat wheel is connected to the rear end of the shaft through a pulley by a rope. When the car goes straight, the direction of the front end and rear end of the shaft does not change, and the small flat wheels on both sides do not change. The wheel hangs on the upper end of the large flat wheel and the small gear. The large flat wheel does not rotate, and the small wooden figure on the vertical axis points directly south. When the car turns left, the front end of the shaft moves to the left and the rear end tilts to the right. In this way, it is tied to the shaft The rope at the rear end will be tight on the left and loose on the right. The small flat wheel on the right will sink under the gravity of the iron pendant, and will be embedded between the large flat wheel on the car and the small gear on the inside of the wheel, and mesh with the gears of the two; if the rotor moves toward When the car turns 90 degrees to the left, the right wheel of the car will turn 90 degrees to the left and rotate forward half a turn at the same time. The pinion on the side of the wheel will rotate forward 12 teeth (half a turn). The pinion drives the small flat wheel to turn 12 teeth to the left accordingly. , the small flat wheel drives the large flat wheel to rotate 12 teeth to the right (in the opposite direction), and the angle of rotation is exactly 90 degrees. The wooden figure on the vertical axis of the large flat wheel also rotates 90 degrees to the right, counteracting the left turn of the car, making the wooden figure People always keep pointing south. The key to the design of the compass is the automatic clutch of the large flat wheel and the small flat wheel. This ingenious design represents the superb skills of ancient my country's mechanical design and manufacturing.
Another famous machine made by Ma Jun is the rollover cart used for agricultural irrigation. This is a major innovation in ancient Chinese irrigation tools. There were two main water-lifting tools in my country before the Eastern Han Dynasty, one was the tangerine and the other was the windlass. Jujue has been used as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Its structure is as follows: a crossbar is fixed with a rope on a tree or wooden frame next to the well. One end of the crossbar is tied to a barrel, and a stone is dropped on the other end. When the barrel is upward When lifting water, due to the use of levers and falling stones, it is more labor-saving and convenient. The windlass is a step further than the jumei. It mainly uses the principle of rotation to lift water, which is especially suitable for deep wells. But these two types of irrigation The tools all have a common flaw, that is, they can only lift water from low to high at intervals, and cannot move continuously, so the efficiency is relatively low and it is more laborious. When Ma Jun lived in Luoyang, the capital, he saw a patch of water in the city. The land can be used to grow vegetables, but because the terrain is relatively high, it is difficult to solve the problem of water diversion for irrigation. For this reason, Ma Jun consulted ancient books and conducted in-depth research on ancient irrigation tools. After continuous testing and exploration, he designed and manufactured a new irrigation machinery - the overturner. .
According to historical records, more than half a century before Ma Jun, Bi Lan of the Eastern Han Dynasty had built a rollover. However, this rollover was used to take river water for spraying roads. Whether it could be used for irrigation is not recorded in the history books. And Ma Jun
The made rollover can be directly used for agricultural drainage and irrigation. It has a compact and convenient structure and can continuously lift water. It is light and labor-saving. Even children can turn it. The efficiency is much higher than other water lifting tools. Therefore, after the rollover appears,
Widely welcomed by the society, it was quickly promoted and has been used for more than 1,000 years. It can still be seen in some areas of our country today. Before the invention of the modern water pump, the rollover was the most advanced water lifting tool in the world at that time. Later, through the efforts of working people of all generations
After continuous transformation and updating, cattle-turned carts, wind-driven carts and water-turned carts powered by animal power, water power, wind power, etc. have appeared, which have played a huge role in irrigating farmland and developing agricultural production.
Due to the lack of detailed records at that time, the specific structure of the overturned cart made by Ma Jun is unknown. There is a clear description of the overturned cart in the "Nongshu" written by Wang Zhen of the Yuan Dynasty, and a diagram of the overturned cart; "Illustrated Description of River Tools" written by Lin Qing in the Qing Dynasty
" records the structure of a rollover. From the above two books, we can know that the general structure of a rollover is: the body is made of three wooden boards to form a rectangular slot. The slot is about 2 feet long, about 4 to 7 inches wide, and about 1 foot high; in the long
A relatively large gear shaft is installed at one end of the groove as the driving shaft. The driving shaft is longer, and four wooden supports are installed at each end as pedals. A relatively small gear shaft is installed at the other end of the wooden groove, and a small gear shaft is installed between the two gear shafts.
A wooden chain made of keel leaves. A string board is tied to the wooden chain and passed through a long trough. When in use, the wooden trough is placed obliquely at the water's edge, with one end of the small axle immersed in the water. A person stands on the shelf and steps on the turning wooden chain.
, driving the large axle, the string plate will scrape water up the trough, discharge the water to the end of the trough, and then return to the water along the upper end of the long trough. In this way, water can be sent from low places to high places to achieve continuous irrigation.
Not long after Ma Jun made the cart, someone presented Emperor Wei Ming with a wooden model called "Baixi" (equivalent to today's puppet). This model was exquisite in shape and cleverly designed, but unfortunately it could no longer move. Emperor Wei Ming asked Ma Jun
Jun, can you think of ways to make him move more skillfully than before? Ma Jun replied confidently: "Yes". So Emperor Wei Ming asked Ma Jun to improve "Baixi". For this reason, Ma Jun
The structure of "Baixi" was carefully studied and decomposed to understand each part. At the same time, he consulted relevant historical documents and determined the basic idea on this basis. Ma Jun first made it out of a piece of wood
A large wheel is placed flat on the ground and driven by water power to rotate; then many wooden figures are placed on the wheel, and a transmission device is designed to make the wooden figures move and perform various programs, such as musicians playing drums.
Beating drums, blowing flutes; singers singing loudly, or dancing gracefully. Ma Jun also designed different models that can perform different shows. For example, in the mountain model, some wooden figures danced balls in the mountains.
"An ancient acrobatics, which involves rolling pills with hands and alternating hands), throwing swords, and some climbing ropes and doing handstands. Wooden figures come in and out, creating a mountain village entertainment image. There are also models of hundreds of officials walking in the summer, and some wooden figures are
Spring rice is grinding flour, and some are juggling cockfighting, with complex, flexible and lifelike movements. This is the famous "Water Turns Hundreds of Plays" in ancient times. Unfortunately, this kind of machinery has been lost, and ancient records are relatively brief, so we can no longer know
Its specific structure and design, but it can be imagined that in order for so many wooden figures to continuously move and change, the mechanical structure must be quite complex and ingenious, demonstrating Ma Jun's superb design ideas and excellent manufacturing skills.
Ma Jun was also good at making weapons and had many original ideas. Unfortunately, the rulers at the time did not pay attention to them and many of his designs were not put into practice. At that time, there were frequent wars between the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu. Once, Zhuge Liang led
When the soldiers attacked the Wei State, they used a new type of repeating crossbow that could fire dozens of arrows continuously. The power was many times greater than the old type. Wei Jun was quite surprised. Later, Wei Jun picked up one and showed it to Ma Jun. Ma Jun looked at it.
Later he thought: Although the Liannu was very sophisticated, it was not the best and there was still room for improvement. If he carried out reforms, the efficiency could be increased by 5 times, but Ma Jun failed to implement the production for some reason. During the Battle of Guandu during the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao
A stone-throwing cart was once used to attack Yuan Shao's position. This stone-throwing cart can throw large rocks to attack the enemy and has a certain power. However, this stone-throwing cart also has certain shortcomings, such as its low speed and the ability to attack the enemy alone.
Therefore, if the enemy hangs wet cowhide on the tower, the stones thrown by the stone cart can be blocked. Therefore, Ma Jun improved this and designed a new siege machine -
- Rotary continuous trebuchet. He planned to make a large wooden wheel that rotates vertically around an axis, tie dozens of large stones with ropes to the edge of the wheel, and then use a machine to drive the wheel to rotate rapidly, and the hanging stones on the edge of the wheel would also
Follow the rotation, and when the rotation speed is very high, cut the rope that is tied to the stone, and the stones will be launched continuously to attack the enemy's tower, leaving the enemy with no time to defend. Ma Jun once experimented with wheels and dozens of bricks.
, tied stones to the side of the wheel, and the bricks flew continuously for hundreds of steps (one step equals about 1.45 meters), which was very powerful, which proved that his design was feasible. However, this design was criticized by cartography
Pei Xiu's ridicule and criticism. Ma Jun's friend, the writer Fu Xuan, appreciated his talent, supported and understood his idea, and worked for him in many ways, hoping to find an opportunity to support Ma Jun in trial production. Fu Xuan
He recommended this invention to Anxiang Marquis Cao Xi, but Cao Xi rejected it because Ma Jun was not good at speaking and could not explain the reason. Fu Xuan patiently persuaded him again and said: "Mr. Ma Jun made a national invention."
The officers and soldiers are waiting for the needed sophisticated weapons when they are in urgent need. It only takes a little wood and two people to make them. Why not try them out to avoid burying useful things." After Fu Xuan's sincere persuasion, Cao Xi accepted this suggestion.
, and reported the situation to Cao Shuang, the Marquis of Wu'an who was in charge of the military, but Cao Shuang ignored the matter. Therefore, Ma Jun's idea never became a reality, which is regrettable. For this reason, Ma Jun's friend Fu Xuan lamented
Said: "It is very easy to try it out, but famous and clever people like Mr. Ma are not taken seriously, let alone those unknown people with talents! Future generations must remember this experience and lesson."
Ma Jun's talents in mechanical design and manufacturing were already well-known throughout the world and admired by the people. His good friend, the writer Fu Xuan, praised him as "the most clever person in the world". When the historian Pei Songzhi made an annotation for "Three Kingdoms"
He wrote: "There is always Ma Jun who supports the wind, and his ingenuity is peerless." This is an appropriate evaluation of Ma Jun. In the history of ancient Chinese science and technology, Ma Gou is an outstanding representative of ancient machinery manufacturing experts. His achievements and name will forever be recorded in history.