Suanxue qimeng

work by Zhu Shijie

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

Suanxue qimeng, meaning "Introduction to Mathematical Science," is a foundational mathematics textbook written by the Chinese mathematician Zhu Shijie in 1299. This work unified southern and northern Chinese mathematical traditions and progressed from elementary arithmetic to algebraic calculations.1

The book is structured with rules and problems presented in verse to aid memorization, reflecting a practical approach to mathematics. It introduced contemporary commercial data, suggesting mathematics was becoming more accessible beyond scholarly circles. Suanxue qimeng was influential in Korea and Japan, contributing to the development of Japanese mathematics (wasan). The text also incorporated the "method of the celestial unknown," a technique for solving equations using polynomials.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

6 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Zhu Shijie
…rests primarily on two publications, Suanxue qimeng (1299; “Introduction to Mathematical Science”) and Siyuan yujian (1303; “Precious Mirror of Four Elements”). The former is an introductory mathematics textbook, proceeding from elementary arithmetic to algebraic calculations. Through its layout and progression it clearly testifies to the author’s didactic concern. Following the…
Read More
…rests primarily on two publications, Suanxue qimeng (1299; “Introduction to Mathematical Science”) and Siyuan yujian (1303; “Precious Mirror of Four Elements”). The former is an introductory mathematics textbook, proceeding from elementary arithmetic to algebraic calculations. Through its layout and progression it clearly testifies to the author’s didactic concern. Following the…
Read More