摘要：本文通过对欧洲现存17世纪中西交流文献的研究考证，否定了莱布尼茨在发明二进制以后才见到先天图的说法。先天图在莱布尼茨发明二进制之前，已被斯比塞尔称之为二进制。从莱布尼茨的信中，可见先天图传入欧洲早于17世纪。
关键词：先天图； 二进制； 莱布尼茨； 伏羲八卦图
Had Leibniz not seen the Xian tian tu before he founded the binary system?
—— A textual research of European literature about culture exchange between China and the West in the seventeenth century
Abstract: Through a textual research of European literature in relation to the culture exchange between China and the West in the seventeenth century, this paper refutes a view that G.W. Leibniz had not seen Xian tian tu before he invented the binary system, for G. Spizel had already called Xian tian tu a binary system before Leibniz invented the binary system. By a letter of Leibniz, it is clear that Xian tian tu had spread into Europe before the seventeenth century.
Key words: Xian tian tu; binary system; G. W. Leibniz; Fuxi’s Diagram of the Eight Trigrams
一、引 言
20世纪90年代，学术界针对“科学易”展开讨论，其中涉及到莱布尼茨发明二进制一事。有人指出：“先天圆图和二进制的关系问题，近年来已有一些文章，依据确凿的历史材料，证明不是莱布尼茨根据先天圆图发明了二进制，而是莱布尼茨发明了二进制以后才见到了先天圆图。莱布尼茨根据二进制来理解先天圆图，说先天圆图中已包含了他发明的东西。这是莱布尼茨的理解。然而有些研究者先把莱布尼茨的理解当作了先天圆图的本义，进而又说莱布尼茨根据先天圆图发明了二进制。”［1］