比特币是什么时候开始的（比特币的源起、演变和用途）

　　比特币是什么时候开始的（比特币的源起、演变和用途）

Bitcoin is the world’s first and most widely recognized cryptocurrency。 It enables peer-to-peer exchange of value in the digital realm through the use of a decentralized protocol， cryptography， and a mechanism to achieve global consensus on the state of a public transaction ledger (blockchain)。

比特币是全球第一种也是得到最广泛认可的加密货币。它通过去中心化协议、密码学和一种对公开交易分类账（区块链）状态实现全球共识的机制，使点对点价值交换成为可能。

Practically speaking， Bitcoin is a form of digital money that (1) exists independently of any government， state， or financial institution， (2) can be transferred globally without the need for a centralized intermediary， and (3) has a known monetary policy that cannot be altered。

实际上，比特币是一种拥有以下特征的数字货币：（1）在任何政府、国家或金融机构之外独立存在；（2）能够在全球转移，不需要一家集中式中介机构；和（3）货币政策众所周知，不能修改。

Launched anonymously in January 2009 to a niche group of technologists， Bitcoin is now a globally traded financial asset with daily settled volume measured in the tens of billions of dollars。 Although its regulatory status varies by region and continues to evolve， Bitcoin is most commonly regulated as either a currency or a commodity， and is legal to use (with varying levels of restrictions) in all major economies。

比特币于2009年1月向一小群技术人员匿名发布，如今已成为一种可在全球交易的金融资产，日结算额达数百亿美元。尽管它在各个国家和地区的监管状况仍在继续发展，但普遍是将比特币作为一种货币或一种商品进行监管，比特币期货在所有主要经济体内都能合法使用（限制水平各不相同）。

Bitcoin’s origin， early growth， and evolution

比特币的源起、早期发展和演变

Bitcoin is based on the ideas laid out in a 2008 whitepaper titled Bitcoin！ A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System。

比特币以在2008年发布的白皮书《比特币：一种点对点电子现金系统》中提出的理念为基础。

The paper detailed methods for "；allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party。"； The technologies deployed solved the '；double-spend'； problem， enabling digital scarcity for the first time。

这篇文章详细介绍了“使任何有交易意愿的双方不需要一个可信任第三方就能直接交易”的方法。这种技术部署解决了“双重支付”问题，第一次让数字稀缺性成为可能。

The listed author of the paper was Satoshi Nakamoto， a presumed pseudonym for a person or group who'；s identity remains a mystery。 Nakamoto released the first open-source Bitcoin software client on January 9th， 2009， and anyone who installed the client could begin using Bitcoin。

这篇文章的署名作者是中本聪，据推测这是某人或某个团体的笔名，身份依然成谜。中本聪于2009年1月9日发布了首款开源比特币软件客户端，任何安装了该客户端的人士均能开始使用比特币。

Initial growth of the Bitcoin network was driven primarily by its utility as a novel method for transacting value in the digital world。 Early proponents were， by and large， '；cypherpunks'； - individuals who advocated the use of strong cryptography and privacy-enhancing technologies as a route to social and political change。 However， speculation as to the future value of Bitcoin soon became a significant driver of adoption。

比特币是在数字世界进行价值交易的一种新方法，比特币网络的最初发展主要由这种实用性驱动。早期支持者总体上都是“密码朋克”，即倡导使用密码和隐私增强技术来推动社会和政治变革的人士。但是，关于未来价值的炒作很快就变成比特币大行其道的一个重要推动因素。

The price of bitcoin and the number of Bitcoin users rose in waves over the following decade。 As regulators in major economies provided clarity on the legality of Bitcoin， a large number of Bitcoin exchanges established banking connections， making it easy to convert local currency to and from bitcoin。 Other businesses established robust custodial services， making it easier for institutional investors to gain exposure to the asset as a growing number of high-profile investors signaled their interest。

在接下来的十年里，比特币的价格和用户数量呈波浪式增长。随着主要经济体的监管机构明确了比特币的合法性，大量比特币交易所建立了银行连接，使本币和比特币的双向兑换变得简单。其他企业建立了稳健的保管服务，使机构投资者能够更方便地增加这种资产的敞口，因为越来越多的知名投资者暗示他们对此感兴趣。

What is Bitcoin used for？

比特币的用途是什么？

At its most basic level， Bitcoin is useful for transacting value outside of the traditional financial system。 People use Bitcoin to， for example， make international payments that are settled faster， more securely， and at lower transactional fees than through legacy settlement methods such as the SWIFT or ACH networks。

从最基本层面看，比特币可用于在传统金融体系之外进行价值交易。例如，人们可使用比特币进行国际收支，结算速度更快，安全性更高，交易费用低于SWIFT或ACH网络等传统结算方法。

In the early years， when network adoption was sparse， Bitcoin could be used to settle even small-value transactions， and do so competitively with payments networks like Visa and Mastercard (which settle transactions at a much slower rate)。 However， as Bitcoin became more widely used， scaling issues made it less competitive as a medium of exchange for small-value items。 This supported the narrative that Bitcoin constitutes an alternative to gold， or '；digital gold。'； Here， the investment thesis is that Bitcoin derives value from a combination of the technological breakthroughs it integrates， its capped supply with '；built-into-the-code'； monetary policy， and powerful network effects。

在早期，网络普及度较低，比特币甚至可被用来结算小额交易，竞争力可与Visa和万事达等支付网络（交易结算速度较慢）相媲美。但是，随着比特币的使用日趋广泛，扩容发行使其作为小额物品交换媒介的竞争力下降。这为比特币构成一种黄金替代品或“数字黄金”的叙事提供了支持。此时，投资理论是比特币的价值源自于其所融合的技术突破、供应上限（货币政策“已嵌入代码”）和强大的网络效应等综合因素。

Another popular narrative is that Bitcoin supports economic freedom。 It is said to do this by providing， on an opt-in basis， an alternative form of money that integrates strong protection against (1) monetary confiscation， (2) censorship， and (3) devaluation through uncapped inflation。 Note that this narrative is not mutually exclusive from the '；digital gold'； narrative。

另一种流行的叙事是比特币支持经济自由化。据称，之所以能够发挥这种作用，是因为比特币在选择性加入的基础上提供一种能够有效防护以下不利因素的替代货币：（1）货币没收；（2）审查；和（3）通过不加限制的通胀实现贬值。请注意，这种叙事与“数字黄金”叙事并不排斥。

　　
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