Displayed to two decimal places.
PERSON · STARLIGHT
Cai Lun
Recorded name: 蔡伦
Cai Lun was an Eastern Han official closely associated with papermaking improvements around 105 CE and with presenting the technique to the court.
Original Chinese introduction
蔡伦是东汉官员，与105年前后的造纸改良及向朝廷呈报工艺密切相关。
Paper appeared before Cai Lun. Traditional historical accounts say that he improved papermaking with materials such as bark, hemp waste, rags, and old fishing nets, and presented it to the court. Archaeological discoveries have renewed attention to the long accumulation of early papermaking and make it more appropriate to examine Cai Lun's role within the shared history of workshop practice, material improvement, and institutional adoption.
Original Chinese context
纸的出现早于蔡伦。传统史书记载，他利用树皮、麻头、破布和旧渔网等材料改进造纸，并向朝廷呈报。考古发现让人们重新认识早期造纸的漫长积累，也使蔡伦的角色更适合放在工坊实践、材料改良与制度采用的共同历史中考察。
Introduction sources
- Smithsonian Research Summary on the History of Papermaking ↗Original Chinese label · 史密森尼造纸史研究摘要
- History of Science Society: Debate on Paper Before Cai Lun ↗Original Chinese label · 科学史学会前蔡伦纸张争议
- Papermaking Prehistory in the History of the Book in China ↗Original Chinese label · 中国书籍史中的造纸前史
Derived from the current score.
Contribution groups assessed so far; coverage is still being expanded.
ASSESSMENT SCOPEWhat this score covers
All included contribution titles and notes are available in English. The complete original text remains available in Chinese; both editions use the same scores and source links.
Uncovered contributions and unresolved harms are not treated as zero. This is not a complete assessment of a lifetime.
1 included contribution has incomplete evidence; the relevant gap appears with that contribution.
Original scope note
This research record currently includes 1 outcome within a limited scope; M and attribution shares are revisable judgments. Uncovered content and negative effects not yet clarified are not treated as zero; specific gaps appear in the item-by-item explanations.
Original Chinese scope
本轮当前已列1项有限研究账；M与归功份额为可修订判断。未覆盖内容和未核清的负面作用不按零处理，具体缺口见逐项说明。
CALCULATIONHow the score is calculated
Q = 10^(M/2) − 1; Lᵢ = aᵢ × Qᵢ; L = Σ Lᵢ; S = 2 × log₁₀(1 + L).
M is an outcome’s assessed magnitude and a is the person’s allocated share. A standalone score is only a per-item reference; the attributed light from distinct contributions is what can be combined.
SCORE DETAILS
1 evaluated contributions
M is the assessed magnitude of an outcome; attribution is the person’s share of credit. Attributed light can be added. The standalone score is only a per-item reference and must not be added across rows.
Scroll sideways for scores and attribution.
| Outcome | M | Attribution share | Attributed light | Standalone score | Share of total | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01Papermaking improvements around 105, court reporting, and promotion chain105年前后造纸改良、宫廷呈报与推广链OUT-SL0025-C105-PAPERMAKING-IMPROVEMENT-REPORT-AND-DIFFUSION · c. 105 CE | 6.2 | 18% | 226.426574 | 4.71 | 100.0000% | Provisional estimate · incomplete evidence |
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NOTES AND SOURCES
Contribution notes and source links
English translations of the included notes appear below, with their Chinese originals available for comparison.
01Papermaking improvements around 105, court reporting, and promotion chain105年前后造纸改良、宫廷呈报与推广链OUT-SL0025-C105-PAPERMAKING-IMPROVEMENT-REPORT-AND-DIFFUSION
Record yearc. 105 CE
Original Chinese · record year
约105年
summaryOrganizing material sources and production improvements on existing crafts, and promoting the method toward more stable institutional adoption and dissemination through court reporting.
Original Chinese · summary
在既有工艺上组织材料来源与生产改良，并通过宫廷呈报把方法推向更稳定的制度采用和传播。
M rationaleM6.2 evaluates major improvements in low-cost writing material craftsmanship, dissemination, and court reporting nodes. This value assesses the complete chain of improvement and promotion, without bonus for the traditional 'inventor' title; paper evidence before 105 CE limits the scope of originality and increases the share of pre-history.
Original Chinese · M rationale
M6.2按低成本书写材料工艺的重大改良、可传播性和宫廷呈报节点评估。该值评价完整的改良与推广链，不以传统‘发明者’称号加成；105年前纸张证据则限制独创范围并提高前史份额。
attribution rationaleCai Lun .18, workshop craftsmen .30, previous papermaking and fiber processing .22, court workshop .12, adopting institutions .05, unresolved historical records .13.
Original Chinese · attribution rationale
蔡伦 .18，工坊工匠 .30，前代造纸与纤维加工 .22，宫廷工坊 .12，采用机构 .05，史料未解析 .13。
overlap boundaryTraditional records around 105 CE in the Eastern Han describe improvements in papermaking from plant fibers such as bark, hemp rags, worn cloth, and old fishing nets, reporting to the court, and promoting adoption. Explicitly excluded are the invention of paper from nothing, the pre-history of paper before 105 CE, later East Asian dissemination, and the entire value of the global paper industry.
Original Chinese · overlap boundary
东汉105年前后传统记载中的树皮、麻头、破布与旧渔网等植物纤维造纸改良、向朝廷呈报及推动采用。明确排除纸从无到有的发明、105年前纸张前史、后世东亚传播和全球纸业的全部价值。
Evidence gapsThere remains chronological and authorial uncertainty between the transmission layer of the 'Book of the Later Han' and contemporary workshop records around 105 CE. Quantifiable records are lacking for product performance, output, workshop personnel, and early diffusion scope before and after the improvement.
Original Chinese · evidence gaps
《后汉书》传承层与105年同期工坊记录之间仍有年代和作者归属不确定性。；改良前后产品性能、产量、工坊人员和早期扩散范围缺少可量化记录。
Full attribution budget
Every recorded actor remains visible. Share (0–1) retains the ledger’s exact decimal value.
- 0.18Cai LunOriginal Chinese · 蔡伦Person
- 0.3Han-dynasty papermaking workshops and craftspeopleOriginal Chinese · 汉代造纸工坊与工匠Team
- 0.22Pre-105 papermaking and fibre-processing prehistoryOriginal Chinese · 105年前造纸与纤维加工前史Predecessor pool
- 0.12Court team for material organization and presentationOriginal Chinese · 宫廷材料组织与呈报协作团队Team
- 0.05Eastern Han court institutions for adoption and disseminationOriginal Chinese · 东汉宫廷采用与传播机构Institution
- 0.13Unresolved attribution in Cai Lun historical materialsOriginal Chinese · 未解析蔡伦史料归功Unallocated
Source links
- Material evidence, historical sources, and scholarly research ↗Original Chinese label · 实物、史料与学术研究
- Material evidence, historical sources, and scholarly research ↗Original Chinese label · 实物、史料与学术研究
- Material evidence, historical sources, and scholarly research ↗Original Chinese label · 实物、史料与学术研究
BOUNDARIES NOT COUNTED
Not included in this score
These subjects are recorded as exclusions and are not silently treated as zero or as part of the included outcomes.
Court offices, political conflicts, and personal consequences
宫廷官职、政治冲突与个人后果
Reason Official posts and political experience cannot substitute for technical delivery, nor can they be used without evidence as a personal offset against papermaking improvements.
Original Chinese reason
官职和政治经历不能代替技术交付，也不能无证据地作为纸张改良的人格抵扣。
East Asian and global diffusion of paper after 105
105年后东亚与全球纸张传播
Reason Later diffusion was carried out by many craftspeople, institutions, and cross-regional transmissions; it is included only as contextual scope for this outcome's foundational effect.
Original Chinese reason
后世传播由大量工匠、制度和跨区域传递完成，只作为本点奠基效应的范围背景。
How to read this score
Scores can change when evidence is reviewed. The method page explains how magnitude, attribution, and included results relate to the displayed score.
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