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What was the method of timing in ancient China?
1, hour

It refers to time. In ancient times, a day was divided into 12 hours, and the earthly branch was used as the time name, which had an ancient established name. The beginning of an hour is midnight.

Gu "Rizhilu": "Since Han. The calendar is getting closer and closer, so the day is divided into twelve o'clock. I don't know who started it, but I have been following it and haven't abolished it ... One day is divided into twelve, and I only see it here. " ?

These timing names often appear in China's ancient literary works.

Bai Juyi's Pipa Trip: "And what are you listening to here? ? The cuckoo drops blood and the ape groans. " "Mu Dan" refers to the time of Pingdan and dusk, meaning early morning and evening.

Step 2 carve

Ancient clepsydra was used for timing. The leaky pot is divided into two parts: the sowing pot and the receiving pot. The seeding kettle is divided into two or four layers, both of which have dripping holes, and finally flow into the receiving kettle. The kettle has an upright arrow engraved with 100 minutes. The arrow gradually rises with the storage of water, showing the number of minutes to show the time.

24 hours a day and night is 100 minutes, which is equivalent to 1440 minutes now. It can be seen that each moment is equivalent to 14.4 minutes now. So "3 noon" is equivalent to 1: 43.2 at noon now.

3. More

In the Han Dynasty, the palace attendants were divided into five shifts and changed shifts on time, which was called "five shifts", so the night was divided into five shifts, and each shift was one hour. Qi Shi is the first watch, Hai Shi is the second watch, Zi Shi is the third watch, Ugly Shi is the fourth watch and Yin Shi is the fifth watch. Their corresponding relationship is as follows:?

One duty day: 19:00-2 1:00.

Second observation day: 2 1:00-23:00, Shihai.

Night performance day: 23:00-065438+ midnight.

Four viewing days: ugly time 0 1:00-03:00.

Even Days: 03:00-05:00 Yin Shi

4. Main points

In ancient times, copper pots were used to detect leakage, and the following leakage points were named. A shift is divided into five points, so the length of one point is equivalent to 24 minutes now.

For example, The Journey to the West said for the ninth time: "Taizong woke up from his dream and never forgot. It's already five drums and three o'clock, and Taizong has set up a court to gather two classes of civil and military officials. " "Two o'clock at midnight" means midnight11:48; "Five drums and three o'clock" means 04: 12 in the morning.

Extended data

Midnight, also known as midnight and midnight, is the midnight of local time.

The ugly cock crows at 2 am local time, also known as the pheasant.

Yin Shiping Dan, also known as Dawn, Dawn and Sundan, etc. Time is the alternation of day and night. 4: 00 a. m. local time.

Sunrise in Shi Mao, also known as the beginning of the day, dawn and rising sun, refers to the time when the sun just appeared and Ran Ran first rose. It's six o'clock in the morning local time.

Eating in the morning is also called breakfast. When the ancients ate in the morning, it was breakfast time, and the local time was 8 o'clock in the day.

Forty holes, also known as Yu Ri, etc. : near noon, call the corner. It's ten o'clock in the morning local time.

Noon, also known as the sun is, noon, etc. The local time is noon 12. The word noon is used for the time nodes of 10 hour system and 12 hour system.

Not long ago, it was also called sunset, sun center and so on. : The sun sets in the west. It's two o'clock in the afternoon local time.

Feeding at the time of application, also known as day shop, late food and so on. : 4 am local time.

As time goes by, it is also called sunset, sunset and evening: it means when the sun goes down. 6 pm local time.

Dusk, also known as sunset, sunset glow, dusk, etc. At this time, the sun has set and the sky will be dark. The world is dark and everything is hazy, so it is called dusk. 8 pm local time.

At this time, it was already late at night, and people stopped their activities and had a rest. Calm means quiet. At night 10 local time.