原始水浮指南针的发明——“瓢针司南酌”之发现

The Invention of the Original Water-Floating Compass:a Discovery of the sinan zhuo Made with a Magnetic Needle Installed on Tiny Gourd Scoop

东汉王充的《论衡》说:"司南之酌,投之于地,其柢指南。"以往被大多数学者所认可的观点认为司南是放在青铜地盘上的磁石勺。然而,作者首次发现,古代司南是以磁针为主体、小葫芦瓢为载体的水浮指南针。中国最早的水浮指南针——"瓢针司南酌"至迟在公元前3世纪已经发明。作者亦制成了"瓢针司南酌"复原模型,并成功通过了模拟实验。

＂When the south-directing device is placed on the ground,it comes to rest pointing south,＂said Wang Chong（ 27—？） in his Lun heng. The established view of most scholars considers the＂south-directing device＂（ sinan） to be a lodestone spoon used with a bronze earth-plate. However,the author has discovered for the first time that the original sinan zhuo was a kind of water-floating compass using a south-pointing magnetic needle installed on a tiny gourd scoop,which can float in a water container such as a bowl. The ancient Chinese invented this earliest form of the magnetic compass no later than the third century BCE. The author also restores the original form of the sinan zhuo,based on his academic discoveries and engineering experiences.