Perhaps the history of Tangram can be traced back to the ancient book "The Book of Changes Bisuan Classic" in China before Qin Dynasty, in which there is a tangent square, which is used to prove the Pythagorean theorem. At that time, the big square was cut into four identical triangles and a small square, not a puzzle. Now the jigsaw puzzle has gone through a historical evolution.
Lu Qing's Yi Yong Lu Han Lu Miscellaneous Knowledge;
"Song, Huang, Bo, Yan, a few, with a few seven sides, the length is related, divided into 25 bodies, into sixty-eight. Several pictures of butterflies are very clear, but the system has been modified, and triangles are staggered into hooks, such as butterfly wings. Its formula three, its system six, its dozens of three, its variant, where there are more than one hundred. Recently, there are seven clever diagrams, the formula is five, the number is seven, and there are more than a thousand kinds of changes. The shape of the body is very small and changes at will. Enough to dispel boredom and break the silence, so secular people like it. "
This basically explains the origin, that is, Yanji map in Song Dynasty developed into butterfly map in Ming Dynasty, and then evolved into Qiao Qi map in early Qing Dynasty.
Yanji includes two long tables of 4X 1, two middle tables of 3X 1 and three short tables of 2X 1. These seven tables can be combined into practical tables with different widths and forms, which is the ancestor of combined dining table furniture today. There are 76 kinds of Yanji maps (Lu Yiyong called 68 kinds wrong), and the author Huang Zuoxu wrote Shao Xi Jia Yin December (1 194), which was written in the Southern Song Dynasty. Huang was a native of the Northern Song Dynasty and died in the early years. Time is reversed, and some people dismiss it as a fake recording.
The Chronology was written by Ge Shan during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (16 17). Yan Yun once wrote a preface for this book (Lu Yi Yun mistook it for Yan Yun). Ge Zhuangle is from Changshu. "Changshu County Records" records that "how many points does Geshan make butterflies". "Butterflies" are triangular and trapezoidal, and there are thirteen butterflies in six species. The figures spelled with "butterfly" are much more complex and rich than "Yanji", which can form pavilions, mountains, ding, bottles, butterflies and other shapes with endless changes. In addition to practical use, it also turned into a clear play, changed the table into a board, and became the predecessor of the "seven clever pictures". During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Liu Xianting described the thirteen puzzles he saw in Miscellanies of Yang Guang, which were quite similar to "butterflies", but his description of the thirteen boards was not like "butterflies". Obviously this is a jigsaw puzzle.
The invention of jigsaw puzzles may have been in the early18th century, and originated from the Iterative Period. Take the right half of the butterfly in figure 1 and cut it twice to form a puzzle. Tangram soon spread to Japan and Europe. Books introducing China jigsaw puzzles have been included in the European bibliographies from 65438 to 0805. Japanese puzzles are divided in a slightly different way. It should be divided by the central square of the butterfly pattern method. Because Japan published the wisdom board of Shao Qing and Yan Na in 1742, and the Qiaoqi Tuhebi that can be found in China was published in 1803, Japan thinks that the jigsaw puzzle did not come from China. However, the author thinks that both China Tangram and Japanese Tangram originated from the "Butterfly Diagram", and the styles and styles of the early Tangram also followed the "Butterfly Diagram".
In Europe, The New China Children's Mystery published about 1805 contains 24 puzzles and a wooden puzzle. Subsequently, the books on Tangram were published in French in 18 10, and in German and American in18/0/8. The Italian books also introduced the history of China. In the preface of these books, it is said: This is a recreational game. Men and women, old and young, dignitaries and ordinary people are all Xian Yi, and they will not let you lose money like other gambling tools.
Dutch writer Gao Luopei wrote in his novel that a dumb boy supplemented his gestures with jigsaw puzzles. It is said that French Napoleon often played jigsaw puzzles to kill time after he was exiled.
Tangram spread to Europe and is still very popular today. 1978 JoosfElffers, a Dutchman, wrote a book about Tangram, and collected 1600 kinds of graphics, which were translated into many languages and published.