十九世紀德園大數學家高斯（c. f. gauss, 1777-1855）被認為是西方數學史上區隔十八、十九世紀的一個最重要角色。在中國數學史上，汪萊（1768-1813）或許也扮演了廦行的角色。在本文中，作者將試圖解釋何以汪萊與他的數學可以用來區隔這兩個世紀的中數學。事實上，對比乾嘉學派的中法派，汪萊數學的西化趨勢至為明顯。他的《衡齋算學》第四冊上半部（1799）恐怕比起阮元《疇人傳》（1799）更能總結乾嘉學派與十八紀世中國數學。另一方面，他的《衡齋算學》第五冊（1801）則引領晚清八大家進入十九世紀了。

　　　　　C. F. gauss (1777-1855), one of the greatest (German) mathematicians, is regarded as one of the most significant figures dividing the 18th and 19th centuries (Western) mathematics. By parallelism, Wang Lai (1768-1813) perhaps can be taken to be the Chinese counterpart. In this article, the author will try to explain to what extent Wang Lai and his mathematics can serve to make a distinction between these two centuries. In fact, in contrast to mathematical practitioners closely associated with the Oian-Jia school, Wang Lai played a role very dramatically leading Chinese mathematics Western-oriented. It seems that at the end of the 18th century, the first part of Book four of the Heng Zhai Suanxue (Collected Mathematical Works of Wang Lai, 1799) was better to conclude the Qian-Jia school and 18th-century Chinese mathematics that Ruan Yuan's Chouren Zhuang (Biography of mathematical Astronomers, 1799). On the other hand, Book Fifth of the Heng Zhia Suanxue (1801), which covered Wang Lai's study of the theory of equations by his own adaptation of Western concepts and terminology, led Chinese mathematicians like Luo Shilin (1989-1853), Xiang Maingda (1789-1850), Xu Youren (1800-1860), dai Xu (1805-1860), Gu Guanguang (1799-1882), Xia Luanxiang (1823-1864), Zou Boqi (1819-1869) and Li Shanlan (1811-1882) into the 19th century.