《百年潮》2000年第4期刊登蔡志新先生的文章《汉字“钨”的发明人李国钦》,叙述我国近代实业家、美籍华人李国钦早年求学、探矿、创业的奋斗经历,给人启迪至深。唯文章题目和文内多处强调,汉字“钨”的发明人是李国钦,在李之前,汉字中没有“钨”字,是李于1915年创造了这个“崭新”的汉字“钨”等。这些说法是不准确的。事实刚好相反,“钨”字在古汉语中早已存在,在历代重要字书里,例如三国的《广雅》、南北朝的《玉篇》、宋代的《广韵》、《集韵》,一直到清代的《康熙字典》,都收有“钨”字。在古书中,“钨”常与“錥”连用,构成词汇“钨錥”,其意思是指“温器”、“小釜”等,属于古代民间应用的一种炊具。用“钨”字作为金属元素 W 的中文术语名称,开始于清朝晚期,至迟在同治9年(1870),已有学者何了然在《化学初阶》一书的化学元素表中应用“钨”字。我国另一 “Century Tide” 2000 the fourth issue of Mr. Cai Zhixin’s article “Chinese character” Tungsten “inventor Li Guocin”, describes the modern Chinese industrialist, American Chinese Li Guocin early study, prospecting, entrepreneurship struggle experience, give inspiration to deep . In the article title and the article, it is emphasized in many places that the inventor of the Chinese character “Tungsten” is Li Guochen. Before Li, there was no “Tungsten” in the Chinese characters, and Li created the “new” Chinese character “Tungsten” in 1915. These statements are inaccurate. In fact, on the contrary, the word “tungsten” already existed in ancient Chinese. In the important texts of ancient times, such as “Guang Ya” in the Three Kingdoms, “Jade Pupils” in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, “Guangyun” and “Ji Yun” in the Song Dynasty To the Qing Dynasty “Kangxi Dictionary”, have received “Tungsten” word. In ancient books, “tungsten” is often used in conjunction with “錥” to form the word “tungsten 錥”, which means “thermostat” and “kettle”, which belong to a kind of cookware used in ancient times. The use of the word “tungsten” as the Chinese name for the metal element W began in the late Qing Dynasty and was not later than the 9th year of the Tongzhi era (1870). Some scholars have already applied the term “chemical first order” Tungsten "word. Another in my country