釋古人之「雷」及「無雲而雷」

Abstract

When reviewing the ancient historical books and local chronological records, it is recognized that ancient Chinese is very respectful to the destructive power of thunders. when thunders appeared, the time of occurrence, the sky condition, and the accompanying rumbling noise, usually signified the degree of disaster that the civilians and the emperor were going to suffer in the coming future. Ancient records of thunders and the associated hazards are interpreted through the principles of climatology in the text. This article also attempts to explain the phenomena of 「 clear day thunders 」 as they were often recorded in Chinese history. The huge rambling noise in the natural environment might be attributed to the land slide, mountain humming, earth quake, tidal wave, and meteor shower in addition to the genuine thunders. The phenomena of 「 clear day thunders 」 are believed to relate with the meteor showers most of the cases, although other possible causes such as remote volcanic eruption and the atmospheric auto-convective lapse condition should be considered if detailed records are available for further interpretation.