Polynomials in a Chinese text

This page from Tshê Yuan Hai Ching, a work of the mathematician Li Ye published in 1248, demonstrates the notation of polynomials. The character stands for the variable and indicates the position of the linear term. The character indicates the zero. Diagonal strokes through a number indicate negative values. Some examples are highlighted in red; they indicate (from right to left)

• in the first column, f(x) = -2 x + 654,
• in the fifth column, f(x) = -2 x² + 654 x,
• in the sixth column, f(x) = x⁴ - 654 x³ +106,924 x² ( + 0 x)

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