术语“圭表”的详细信息

英译术语:

gnomon (an ancient Chinese sundial consisting of an elongated dial and one or two gnomons)

汉语语境:

圭表是中国最古老的一种天文仪器。直立于平地上测日影的标杆和石柱，叫做表；正南正北方向平放的测定表影长度的刻板，叫做圭。当太阳照着表的时候，圭上出现了表的影子，根据影子和方向和长度，就能读出时间。圭表的主要功能是测定冬至日所在，并进而确定回归年长度。此外，通过观测表影的变化可确定方向和节气；同时，它还可用于编制历法，确定一年的天数。

英语语境:

Gnomon is the oldest astronomical instrument in China. The surveyor's pole and pillar which uprear on the ground to test shadows-cast by the sun is called Biao; the board measuring the length of the Biao's shadow laying in the south and north direction is called GUI. The shadow begins to appear on the GUI when the sun shines on the Biao, and then according to the shadow's direction and length, people can know the time. Gnomon's main function is to tell when the winter solstice comes, and calculate the length of the tropical year. In addition, through observation of the changes of Gonomon's shadow, the direction and the throttle can be predicted. At the same time, it can also be used to prepare the calendar and count the number of days in a year.