“纪限仪”辨析:兼论其在晚清的引介和使用

Differentiation and Analysis of Sextants:Discussing their Introduction and Use in the Late Qing Dynasty

双反射六分仪是一种用于测量远方两个目标之间夹角的仪器,在近现代多用于航海中的地理纬度测量。晚清时期,双反射六分仪作为一种天体测角仪器,以“纪限仪”之名被引进中国,它与明末清初由传教士引进制造的纪限仪名称相同、功用类似,但在外型、构造和使用等方面都有很大的区别。早于双反射六分仪入华而采用同样光学构造的八分仪,也存在不同译名。本文梳理、辨析了早期介绍双反射六分仪知识的文献,并考察其在晚清的应用情况,可供科学技术博物馆对六分仪早期入华传播应用的历史脉络作更清晰的展示。

The sextant is an instrument used to measure the angle between two distant targets,and in modern times is widely used to measure latitude in navigation.In the late Qing Dynasty,the sextant was first introduced into China as a celestial angle measuring instrument under the name of“Ji Xian Yi”,which had the same name and similar function as the“Ji Xian Yi”introduced and manufactured by the missionaries at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.However,there were significant differences in terms of appearance,structure,and use between the two.In addition,before the introduction of the sextant in China,the Octant,which had the same optical structure,was used and had different translations.The article compares and analyses the early literature introducing the knowledge of the sextant and examines its application in the late Qing dynasty,which can be used by the Museum of Science and Technology to provide a clearer historical context for the early dissemination and use of the sextant in China.