What did the ancients say about the weather in Sinology?

As early as Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, China people realized the importance of wind. From The Book of Songs, Songs of Chu to Huainanzi, there are a lot of records about the wind. Ancient people realized a long time ago that the vagaries of the wind meant great changes in the weather. Mastering the running law of the wind will also master the mystery of the weather.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, some people in China put forward the weather theory related to wind power. With the division of "drifting wind", "decaying wind" and "burning wind", it was clearly summarized in Sima Qian's Historical Records, and all kinds of wind conditions and possible weather conditions were systematically summarized. What kind of weather conditions will be judged by the wind every year!

Related wind observation instruments are also constantly improving. The most famous is the "Xiangfeng Copper Bird" invented by Zhang Heng, a scientist in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Even if the wind direction is thousands of miles away, it can be judged by the rotation of the bird's head and can be used as a reference for weather mapping. The existence of this bronze bird has been controversial in the archaeological field until 197 1, the relevant archaeological achievements were unearthed in the Eastern Han Dynasty tomb in Anping County, Hebei Province, and this doubt was finally refuted!

Rainfall measurement based on the concept of weather map

For the annual climate change, measuring rainfall is an important task, but under the ancient conditions, how to measure the rainfall of a precipitation? There was a special rain gauge in ancient China, and the mathematician Qin in the Southern Song Dynasty put forward a traditional formula for measuring and converting rainfall.

During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, China also made a breakthrough in the research and development of rain gauges, with a set of tools, which were not only promoted nationwide, but also given to affiliated countries such as North Korea. Of course, this has also brought trouble to today: many Korean scholars are red-tongued and white-toothed, and often boast that the rain gauge was invented in South Korea, but later it was hit in the face by historical materials and objects!

Meteorological surveying and mapping instrument-thermometer

As early as the Han Dynasty in China, people in the Han Dynasty knew the relationship between air humidity and weather. For example, Huainanzi said that "the change of wind and rain can be known by melody". It was also at that time that China people had the original "balance hygrometer". That is, a balance-shaped instrument, with soil at one end and charcoal at the other end, is used to measure rain or shine. This seemingly funny hygrometer was earlier than Europe 1000 years ago.

When Europe finally learned to measure humidity with a balance, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China, China people had a deer tendon hygrometer. There is a two-foot deer intestine at the top of the shelf, and there is a pointer plate below. The change of air humidity will cause the disc to rotate, so the humidity can be obtained accurately! Later, western scholars said that this hygrometer was the prototype of modern hygrometer.