born 0441; 1202, Puzhou, China
died 0441; 1261, Meizhou
Chinese mathematician who developed a method of solving simultaneous linear congruences.
In 1219 he joined the army as captain of a territorial volunteer unit and helped quash a local rebellion. In 1233 he began his official government service. In his only mathematical book, now known as Shushu jiuzhang (1247; "Mathematical Writings in Nine Sections"), he introduced a method of solving systems of linear equations that was rediscovered in Europe about 1802, where it became known as the Ruffini-Horner method. He later became provincial governor of Qiongzhou, but charges of corruption and bribery brought his dismissal in 1258.