  We introduce a new measure called reduced entropy of sublattice to quantify
entanglement in spin, electron and boson systems. By analyzing this quantity,
we reveal an intriguing connection between quantum entanglement and quantum
phase transitions in various strongly correlated systems: the local extremes of
reduced entropy and its first derivative as functions of the coupling constant
coincide respectively with the first and second order transition points. Exact
numerical studies merely for small lattices reproduce several well-known
results, demonstrating that our scenario is quite promising for exploring
quantum phase transitions.
