nán

technical
historical

Meaning of 司南

司南 means an ancient Chinese directional instrument made of magnetite carved into a spoon shape, placed on a smooth plate marked with directions; the precursor to the modern compass. Pronounced sī nán.

  • an ancient Chinese directional instrument made of magnetite carved into a spoon shape, placed on a smooth plate marked with directions; the precursor to the modern compass

Definitions & Examples

nán
shì
shì
jiè
shang
zuì
zǎo
de
zhǐ
nán
 

The south-pointing spoon was the world's earliest directional instrument.

guǎn
chén
liè
zhe
Hàn
dài
de
nán
xíng
 

The museum displays a model of a Han Dynasty south-pointing spoon.

nán
yòng
shí
de
zhǐ
xìng
lái
biàn
bié
fāng
xiàng
 

The south-pointing spoon uses the magnetic polarity of lodestone to determine direction.

Measure Words

/
Primary
/ jiàn
/ tái