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Cathay Compass
Important Note: Works on iPhone 3GS only.
The Cathay Compass by Bluefir is a link to ancient China’s mysterious system of divination called feng shui, as well as a stylish, well-designed compass app for your phone. One of the 4 great inventions of ancient China was the compass, while the other 3 were papermaking, gunpowder, and printing. The modern day compass, however, bears little resemblance to the original Chinese compass invented during the Warring States period of 476 to 221 BCE. The ancient Chinese compass is called sinan (司南), which literally translates to “south pointer”. Originally the sinan was used in feng shui divinations, with the navigational benefits of a south pointing device only later realised for trade and military applications.
The Chinese compass sinan is made from a single piece of mineral magnetite carved in the shape of a large spoon, or ladle. The ladle is placed atop a brass plate with engravings based on feng shui and the I Ching. The I Ching is also called the Book of Change and is regarded as one of the six Confucian Classics. These markings indicate the harmonious directions for different objects and activities. For the south pointing function of the sinan, the ladle rotates until the handle points due south, with the mouth pointing north.
“In the past, the Chinese compass for feng shui was made of tiger bones and was hand-painted. Nowadays, however, the sinan is made up of a brass base plate and a magnetic spoon showing designs such as Ten Heavenly Stems, Twelve Earthly Branches, and the Four Divinatory Symbols. These designs indicate the twenty-four directions and positions and are attached to a beautiful rosewood platform. The use of the Chinese compass for feng shui is basically to give information on the favorable and unfavorable parts of a location or building.”
Source:
www.chinaculture.org
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司南是中国战国时代发明的一种指示南北方向的指南器，是指南针的早期形式。
磁石的南极磨成长柄，放在青铜制成的光滑如镜的底盘上，再铸上方向性的刻纹。这个磁勺在底盘上停止转动时，勺柄指的方向就是正南，勺口指的方向就是正北，这就是世界上最早的磁性指南仪器——司南。
司南勺由整块磁石制成，磁南极的一头琢成长柄，圆圆的底部是它的重心，雕琢光滑。地盘是个铜质的方盘，地盘外方内圆，中央是个光滑的圆槽，地盘四周刻有八干、十二支加上四维，合成二十四向，用来配合司南定向。
司南的出现，为后来的通商、航海、军事等社会活动提供了保证，古人将其作为观宅择穴，观星辰变化，测生辰吉凶的工具。统治者将其用于四方，作治民之用，平民百姓则将其融入生活，趋利避凶。
司南是古人认真观察了许多自然界有关磁的现象，积累了大量的知识和经验，经过长期的研究才完成的，司南的出现是人们对磁体指极性认识的实际应用。
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- Last changed:
- Nov 03, 2009
- Category:
- Navigation
- Developer:
- Bluefir Media
- Version:
- 1.0
- Average Rating:
- 3.50 (2)
- Size:
- 4.9 MB
