Tangram and Nine Links, what is the history of these toys that contain Chinese wisdom?

The jigsaw puzzle and the nine-link puzzle are both popular recreational toys that have been around for a certain period of time.

The jigsaw puzzle has a history of thousands of years, dating back to the first century BC. By the Ming Dynasty, its regulations were basically finalized, and it has been widely circulated among the people.

It is said that the nine-link ring was invented during the Warring States Period. It has a mysterious way of playing and became popular after the Song Dynasty.

Today's jigsaw puzzle consists of seven different-shaped pieces.

They are two large triangles and small triangles, a medium triangle, a square and a parallelogram, all in bright colors.

The jigsaw puzzle looks very simple, but it can be assembled and combined into many interesting patterns.

Whether it's animals, buildings or human figures, there are many ways to bring them to life.

It is precisely because of its diversity and vividness that jigsaw puzzles have become a popular folk toy.

According to records, the tangram evolved from furniture.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a Jinshi named Huang Bosi who was very interested in geometric figures.

He invented a table for entertaining guests, made up of six small tables put together.

It can change its shape as the number of diners changes, which is very interesting.

Later, a table was added to make it seven, and the combinations were endless, similar to the current jigsaw puzzle, called "Yanjitu".

In the Ming Dynasty, someone designed the "Butterfly Wings" based on this.

It consists of thirteen pieces and can be assembled into more than one hundred shapes.

In this way, the jigsaw puzzle was continuously improved in the wisdom of the people and became what it is today.

Compared with the jigsaw puzzle, the nine-link puzzle is slightly more difficult.

It consists of a frame and nine rings. The nine rings are connected to each other through straight rods, placed on the frame, and fixed at the other end.

The gameplay is to remove or put on the nine rings one by one. The steps are relatively complicated and follow certain rules.

It is said that the nine-link ring was invented by Zhuge Liang to relieve his wife from loneliness. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it became one of the common toys among the people.

There are still people who specialize in the solution of the nine-link chain, such as Gross in the 19th century.

He proved through calculation that the simplest solution also requires 341 steps.

Before this, there were also foreign mathematical literature discussing the solution of the Nine Links. It can be seen that the Nine Links has attracted many fans at home and abroad with its rich wisdom.

Whether it is the Nine Links or the Tangram, they all contain the wisdom of the working people and should be better inherited and carried forward.