Editing Chinese numerals (section)

==Historical use of numerals in China==
[[File:Shang numerals.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Shang oracle bone numerals of 14th century B.C.<ref>The Shorter Science & Civilisation in China Vol 2, An abridgement by Colin Ronan of Joseph Needham's original text, Table 20, p. 6, Cambridge University Press {{isbn|0-521-23582-0}}</ref>]]
[[File:西周金文.jpg|thumb|right|250px|West Zhou dynasty bronze script]]
[[File:Rod numeral positioning.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Counting rod numeral example from the [[Yongle Encyclopedia]] showing the number 71,824]]
[[File:Counting board.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Japanese counting board with grids]]

Most Chinese numerals of later periods were descendants of the [[Shang dynasty]] oracle numerals of the 14th century BC. The [[oracle bone script]] numerals were found on tortoise shell and animal bones. In early civilizations, the Shang were able to express any numbers, however large, with only nine symbols and a counting board though it was still not positional.<ref>The Shorter Science & Civilisation in China Vol 2, An abridgement by Colin Ronan of Joseph Needham's original text, p5, Cambridge University Press  {{ISBN|0-521-23582-0}}</ref>

Some of the bronze script numerals such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, and 13 became part of the system of [[rod numerals]].

In this system, horizontal rod numbers are used for the tens, thousands, hundred thousands etc. It is written in ''[[Sunzi Suanjing]]'' that "one is vertical, ten is horizontal".<ref>[http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%AD%AB%E5%AD%90%E7%AE%97%E7%B6%93 Chinese Wikisource] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222015006/http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%AD%AB%E5%AD%90%E7%AE%97%E7%B6%93 |date=2012-02-22 }} 孫子算經: {{zhi|c=先識其位}}, {{zhi|c=一從十橫}}, {{zhi|c=百立千僵}}, {{zhi|c=千十相望}}, {{zhi|c=萬百相當}}.</ref>

{| border="0" width="500" align="center" style="border: 5px solid #999; background-color:white"
|-align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
! {{zhi|c=七}}
! {{zhi|c=一}}
! {{zhi|c=八}}
! {{zhi|c=二}}
! {{zhi|c=四}}
|-align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| [[File:Counting rod v7.png|20px]]
| [[File:Counting rod h1.png|20px]]
| [[File:Counting rod v8.png|20px]]
| [[File:Counting rod h2.png|20px]]
| [[File:Counting rod v4.png|20px]]
|-align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 7
| 1
| 8
| 2
| 4
|}

The counting rod numerals system has place value and decimal numerals for computation, and was used widely by Chinese merchants, mathematicians and astronomers from the [[Han dynasty]] to the 16th century.

[[Alexander Wylie (missionary)|Alexander Wylie]], Christian missionary to China, in 1853 already refuted the notion that "the Chinese numbers were written in words at length", and stated that in ancient China, calculation was carried out by means of counting rods, and "the written character is evidently a rude presentation of these". After being introduced to the rod numerals, he said "Having thus obtained a simple but effective system of figures, we find the Chinese in actual use of a method of notation depending on the theory of local value [i.e. place-value], several centuries before such theory was understood in Europe, and while yet the science of numbers had scarcely dawned among the Arabs."<ref>Alexander Wylie, ''Jottings on the Sciences of the Chinese, North Chinese Herald, 1853, Shanghai''</ref>

During the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] dynasties (after Arabic numerals were introduced into China), some Chinese mathematicians used Chinese numeral characters as positional system digits. After the Qing period, both the Chinese numeral characters and the Suzhou numerals were replaced by Arabic numerals in mathematical writings.