以下说明取材字自中国风水罗盘一书： 罗盘，古称罗经、罗镜、经盘、罗经盘、子午盘、针盘、风水罗盘，是中国古代堪舆家从事堪舆活动必可少的重要工具。 罗盘盘面层次繁多，内容庞杂，原理玄奥，自五行八卦、干支甲子、节气方位，到天文历法、州国分野无所不包。 风水罗盘是利用磁针的磁极性来指示方向的，在磁针的四周置有方位盘，就可以利用指南针判定方位了，在方位盘上按照一定规律和原理排列一些有意义的字词，就使得方位盘有了占卜的意义和作用。风水罗盘就是这样一种用于建筑风水的占卜工具。 从古代简单的罗盘，发展至今日的复杂多样的罗盘，经历了几千年的历史，期间的许多真相已不得而知，只能从出土的和现有的实物，以及文献资料去寻求一点斑驳的痕迹。 
     Feng Shui Compass (Luo Pan) Luo means a net that encompasses everything and Pan means utensil or plate. This allegorically refers to the union of Heaven and Earth and specifically to the electro magnetic field that holds all matter together. Ancient China gave the world several of the mathematical and scientific concepts we take for granted today, such as the compass. The magnetic compass was invented in China for use by Feng Shui practitioners. Because of variations over time in the earth's magnetic fields, three compass systems were superimposed over each other during the span of half a millennium to establish the compass that Feng Shui practitioners use today.