Four Great Inventions

The Four Great Inventions are the four most important inventions in the history of China. They are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical importance. They are seen as symbols of China's advanced science and technology.^[1]

Four Great Inventions
Five major steps for making paper, outlined by Cai Lun in AD 105
Traditional Chinese	四大發明
Simplified Chinese	四大发明
Literal meaning	four great inventions
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin sì dà fā míng

The Four Great Inventions are:

• The compass,^[2]
• Gunpowder,^[3]
• Papermaking,^[4]
• Printing.^[5]

These four discoveries had a big impact on the development of Chinese civilization. They also had a big impact on global technology.^[6] Some modern Chinese scholars have argued that other Chinese inventions had an even bigger impact on civilization.^[7]