中英雙語話中國歷史名人 第87期:徐光啓
Xu Guangqi (1562~1633), styled Zixian, literary name Xuanhu, was a native of Songjiang (now Shanghai City).
徐光啓(1526~1633 ) ，字子先，號玄扈，松江上海縣(今屬上海市)人。
He was the first one who introduced European natural science to China and translated geometry into Chinese (six volumes of Geometry Original).
徐光啓是把歐洲自然科學介紹到中國的第一人，最早翻譯了幾何學著作《幾何原本》。
He introduced the European clock and the telescope invented by Galileo, with which he drew up a map called "All Planets in the Celestial Sphere".
引進了歐洲的時鐘和伽利略發明的望遠鏡，繪製了一幅《全天球恆星圖》。
He took charge of the revision of the calendar and translated and edited Chongzhen Almanac by means of Tycho system.
徐光啓還主持曆法的修訂，採用第谷體系編譯《崇禎曆書》。
His most influential work on science and technology was the immense book entitled Complete Treatise on Agriculture, consisting of 12 phyla, 60 volumes, and altogether over 700 000 words.
徐光啓的最大成就是著有農業科學鉅著《農政全書》，此書分爲十二門，60卷，70餘萬字。
In this monumental work he merged the advanced European scientific knowledge into the findings of his continuous research work. It still serves as a valuable reference for the agricultural production of China.
在這部不朽的鉅著裏，他把先進的歐洲科學融入自己長年的研究成果，至今仍然爲中國的農業生產起着可貴的參考作用。
He strived to develop agricultural production in the north by reclaiming wasteland and developing water conservancy. He advocated steps taken by the government to relieve famine such as preparing against natural disasters and providing help to tide over a crop failure.
徐光啓力圖用墾荒和開發水利的方法來發展北方的農業生產，主張實行備荒、救荒等荒政。
His contributions in agricultural technology included exploding the theory of the unique importance of climate in ancient agriculture, further improving the technology of dry farming in the south, popularizing the planting of sweet potato and summing up the regularity of the plague of locusts and the ways to wipe out locusts.
在農業技術上，徐光啓破除了古代農學中“唯風土論”思想，進一步提高了南方的旱作技術，推廣甘薯的種植，總結了蝗蟲蟲災發生的規律和治蝗方法。該書將歐洲先進科學知識和他長期研究的成果融合在一起，至今對中國農業生產的發展仍有參考價值。
Xu Guangqi held that agriculture was the foundation to make the country rich and military strength was fundamental to make the country powerful. Therefore, he attached importance to the study of military science and technology. He was concerned about the manufacture of arms, especially that of firearms.
徐光啓以農業爲富國之本，以正兵爲強國之本，重視軍事科學技術的研究。徐光啓關心武器製造，尤其是火器製造。
He was the first in China to put forward the theory of applying artillery in warfare.
他是中國軍事技術史上提出火炮在戰爭中應用理論的第一人。
