At a glance
- Common directional division
- Twenty-four directions, fifteen degrees each
Definition and scope
A luopan reads orientation and stores correspondences. Its needle responds to the local magnetic field, while the rings encode human classifications. Ring counts, inscriptions and arrangements vary between objects. Begin with the specific artifact instead of assuming that a contemporary commercial design represents every historical compass.
Structure and details
Many examples place a circular dial inside a wooden surround. A twenty-four-direction ring divides a full circle into fifteen-degree sectors and combines branch, stem and corner-trigram names. Keep the named sector, numerical bearing and location on a building plan distinct, because they answer different questions about orientation.
Example and history
The British Museum documents three geomantic compasses with circular dials in rectangular wooden frames. An introductory exercise can identify the needle, then one directional ring, then any further inscriptions. Illegible markings should remain unresolved rather than being filled in with imagined formulas from a presumed school.
Contexts and limits
Steel, vehicles and magnetic objects can affect a reading; geographic and magnetic north also need distinction. The instrument can measure a bearing without validating predicted wealth or illness. As an artifact it invites study of materials and inscriptions. Home decisions need direct observation of light, ventilation and circulation.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.
- British Museum: geomantic compassesInstitutional / reference source
Museum documentation of circular geomantic compasses in rectangular wooden frames, supporting material history.
- 宅經／卷上Primary / tradition source
Primary evidence for residential orientation and construction beliefs, not proof of predicted outcomes.