日晷 the Sundial

文物时间：红楼时期 
文物位置：外文楼北 
文物类别：石刻 
Time: In the period of Red Chamber 
Location: North of Foreign Language Building 
Category: Stone inscription

文物特色

日晷，位于北京大学赛克勒艺术博物馆与外文楼之间，汉白玉制，高近3米,由大底座、碑身和日晷组成。碑身从北开始按顺时针方向刻着篆字碑文。东西南北四面的碑文分别为：“近取诸物”、“远取诸身”、“仰以观于天文”、“俯以察于地理”。碑身以上为日晷，由底座和晷盘及晷针组成。 燕园中这座日晷为赤道式日晷，是多种日晷形式的一种。这种日晷由晷盘和晷针组成，盘中央穿有一根垂直于盘面的“晷针”，它的方向指向天北极。赤道式日晷其晷盘平行于地球赤道平面，而晷针则平行于地轴。晷针与地平面所在的夹角等于北京的纬度。由于我校各楼均偏西5°49′，如果日晷正底座按正北方向定位，则显示建筑、甬道是斜的。为了艺术的和谐，日晷底座便按楼的位置定位。

历史溯源

原位于老北大的沙滩红楼前，八十年代后期移放到现赛万提斯像东侧草坪内，1992年园林科在赛克勒博物馆建成后移到此处，并恢复了晷盘与晷针，以期与博物馆在内容、气势上形成一种和谐的旋律。现晷针已经缺失。

Distinguishing Feature

Sundial is located between the Sackler Art Museum and Foreign Language Building, made by white marbles, 3 meters high, which consists of a big base, body and sundial. The body was carved with words clockwise from north. This sundial in YanYuan is the equatorial sundial, one of various kinds of sundials. This kind of sundial consists of plate and needle, the needle is in the center of the plate and perpendicular to it, whose direction is celestial North Pole. The plate of equatorial sundial is parallel to the equatorial plane while the needle is parallel to axis of the earth. The angle of the needle and the horizon is the latitude of Beijing. Because the school buildings are 5°49′west, if the sundial base was located due north, the buildings and streets will be slant, inharmonious with the whole building. So for the aim of art harmony, the base is located to the direction of the building.

History

It was placed in front of the red tower, after 80’s it was moved to the east lawn. In 1992 when the Sackler Art museum constructed, it was moved here and its plate and needle were recovered, aiming to form a harmonious rhythm. But now the needle is missing.