赵州桥

张超

Zhaozhou Bridge is the oldest stone arch1 bridge in the world. It was built in Sui Dynasty and has the nickname “King of Bridges”.

赵州桥是世界上最古老的石拱桥，始建于隋朝，有“桥王”之称。

Zhaozhou Bridge， also known as Anji Bridge， has an important scientific and artistic value. The Zhaozhou Bridge is about 51 meters long with a central span2 of about 37 meters. It stands 7.3 meters tall and has a width of 9.6 meters. It crosses the Xiaohe River， which lies in Zhao County， Hebei Province. It was designed by Li Chun， an outstanding architectural3 constructor in the years 591-599 during the Sui Dynasty， and is famous for its unique construction， with a history of more than 1，400 years.

趙州桥，又名安济桥，具有重要的科学和艺术价值。赵州桥长约51米，中心跨度约37米，高7.3米，宽9.6米，坐落在河北赵县的洨河上。它由著名匠师李春设计建造，建于隋朝年间的公元591年至599年，以其独特的结构闻名，距今已有1400多年的历史。

There are two small arches on each side of the central， which forms “open-spandrel4 arch bridge”. The small arches have many functions， such as saving materials， reducing the weight of the bridge， lightening the effect of floods and of course the artistic value they bring. The arch upon arch construction is initiative5 as far as the bridge-building history of the world is concerned.

赵州桥中心两侧各有两个小拱，形成了“单孔敞肩拱桥”。 小拱有很多功能，比如节省材料，减轻桥梁重量，减轻洪水的影响，当然还具有艺术价值。在世界建桥史上，赵州桥首创了敞肩拱的新型桥。

It was tested by Mao Yisheng， a 20th century bridge structure expert， to bear up to 8 tons， a capacity6 seldom needed in ancient times. Over 1，400 years， although Zhaozhou Bridge has experienced many tests of earthquake， flood， wind and rain， it is still as strong as ever.

20世纪桥梁结构专家茅以升曾对其进行测试，它可以承受8吨的重量，完全超出了古代的载重需求。1400多年以来，虽经受了地震、洪水和风雨的考验，赵州桥至今仍和以前一样坚固。

Zhaozhou Bridge not only fully shows the wisdom of us Chinese but is also crowned7 with eternal8 glory for its practical and artistic value at home and abroad.

赵州桥不仅充分体现了我们中国人的智慧，而且因其实用和艺术价值而在国内外被授予了永恒的荣誉。