桨轮船也叫车船，它是在船的舷侧或尾部装上带有桨叶的桨轮，靠人力踩动桨轮轴，使轮周上的桨叶拨水而推动船体前进。因为这种船的桨轮下半部浸埋水中，上半部露出水面，故又称“明轮船”，以便和人工划桨的木船以及风力推动的帆船相区别。
南北朝时，祖冲之造的“千里船”可“日行百余里”，有人认为这是一种桨轮船，但因缺乏明确的记载，尚无定论。关于制造桨轮船的确切记载，最早见于《旧唐书·李皋传》，讲述了唐代李皋设计的新型战舰，“挟二轮蹈之，翔风鼓浪，疾若挂帆席”。
桨轮船把桨楫改为桨轮推进，把桨楫的间歇推进改为桨轮的回旋推进（连续运转）。桨轮船的出现，是船舶推进技术的一个重大进步，也是对船行动力的一次重大改革，它其实就是原始形态的轮船。我国唐代李皋制造桨轮船，比西方要早七八百年，欧洲直到公元15、16世纪才出现桨轮船。
桨轮船在南宋时期得到了较大规模的发展。当时农民起义军领袖杨么的部下高宣，设计制造了多种大小桨轮船。其车数（一轮叫做一车）有4车、6车、8车、20车、24车、32车等，中型的载战士二三百人，大型的长二三十丈，吃水一丈左右，能载千余人。桨轮船在出现后的1000多年中，发挥过巨大作用，直到20世纪初，我国南方地区还有少量的桨轮船。
參考答案:The oar steamboat also hires a vehicle the ship, it is installs in the ship board or the rear part has the paddle blade paddle wheel, depends on the manpower to step on moves the oar wheel axle, causes on the crown the paddle blade to dial the water to impel the hull advance. Because this kind of ship paddle wheel lower part soaks buries in the water, the upper half reveals the water surface, therefore calls “the paddle steamer”, in order to with rows artificially the wooden boat as well as the wind power impetus sailing ship distinguishes.
When Southern and Northern Dynasties, the ancestor flushes it to make “the great distance ship” to be possible “the date line hundred miles”, some people thought this is one kind of oar steamboat, because but lacks the explicit record, still did not have the conclusion. About the manufacture oar steamboat accurate record, sees most early in "Old Tang shu · Li High bank Biography", narrated the new battleship which Tang Dynasty Li Gao designs, “pinches two turns steps it, flies in circles the wind drum wave, illness if hoists sails the mat;.
The oar steamboat changes the oar oar the paddle wheel to advance, changes the oar oar intermittent advancement the paddle wheel the maneuver advancement (continuous working). The oar steamboat appearance, is a ships Journal of Propulsion Technology tremendous progress, also is to a shipping agency power significant reform, it is actually the primitive shape steamboat. Our country Tang Dynasty Li high bank manufacture oar steamboat, compares the West to have early 7800 years, Europe until the A.D. 15, the 16th century only then to appear the oar steamboat.
The oar steamboat obtained the big scale development in the Southern Song Dynasty time. At that time the farmer insurrectionary army leader Yang subordinate proclaimed high, the design has made many kinds of big and small oar steamboat. Its Che Shu (one turn is called a vehicle) to have 4 vehicles, 6 vehicles, 8 vehicles, 20 vehicles, 24 vehicles, 32 vehicles and so on, medium carries the soldier 2300 people, large-scale long 230 ten feet, about drinking water ten feet, can carry thousand people. In the oar steamboat after appearance more than 1000 years, has played the huge role, until the beginning of the 20th century, south our country the area also has the few oar steamboat.
