What are the ancient timing tools? _

Gui (pronounced gu) is a simple and important astronomical instrument, which consists of a vertical table (usually eight feet high) and a horizontal GUI. It measures the length of the sun shadow by using instant truth. Its main function is to determine the location of the winter solstice, and then determine the length of the tropical year. In addition, we can also determine the direction and solar terms by observing the changes of surface shadows.

The sundial, also known as the sundial instrument, is another kind of timing instrument in ancient China. It usually consists of a copper pointer and a stone disk. The copper pointer is called "sundial needle" and the stone disk is called "sundial surface". When in use, observe the position of the sun shadow on the disc.

Copper pot drops are also called "leaky carving" or "leaky pot". That is to say, a small hole is drilled at or near the bottom of the pot, and the water level of the copper pot is changed through the small hole to calculate the time. The copper pot drip invented by China is much earlier than the drip timer made in foreign countries, and it is also widely used, which has become an important tool for timing in past dynasties.

Susong Waterway Instrument Observatory;

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties (1088), Su Song, the official minister, observed the astronomical observation instruments with different structures in Taishi Bureau and Hanlin Observatory, and adopted the opinions of various parties on armillary sphere, image number and water transportation since the Han and Tang Dynasties, and combined them into one. Instruments and imaging equipment are placed in the upper and lower partitions of a platform, while the cardinal's axis is hidden in the wooden platform. Time-telling equipment, such as Chen Si, drumming, ringing bells, holding a license, rotating around the shaft, haunts the wooden pavilion on the fifth floor, and the instrument image is operated by a hydraulic wheel. The only automatic water-borne astronomical (elephant) instrument and automatic time-telling observatory in China is called "water-borne instrument image platform". It can be seen that the water-based instrument image platform is composed of three parts, the top is the mud instrument, and then the mud image. In addition, the shaft in the wooden pavilion is also connected with the time-telling equipment, making it the most important astronomical observation and time-telling equipment in China. Its exquisite structure makes it difficult to repair the water-borne instrument platform. The escapement mechanism invented by it to control the stable operation is earlier than the clip in modern clocks and watches 1000 years, which is a great achievement of astronomy in China.

There are also more than a thousand chapters on copper leakage, Yanyou drip leakage, dragon boat fragrance leakage, dragon water, equatorial sundial, equatorial theodolite, armillary sphere and so on.