並列摘要
When reviewing the ancient historical books and local chronological records, it is recognized that ancient Chinese were very respectful to the destructive power of thunder. When thunder appeared, the time of occurrence, 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 short-coming future. Ancient records of thunder and the associated hazards are interpreted through the principles of climatology. This article also attempts to explain the phenomenon of clear day thunder as they were often recorded in the Chinese history. The huge rumbling noise in the natural environment might be attributed to landslides, mountain humming, earthquakes, tidal waves, and meteor showers in addition to the genuine thunders. The phenomenon of clear day thunder is believed to be related to the meteor showers in most of the cases, although other possible causes such as remote volcanic eruptions and the atmospheric auto-convective lapse conditions should be considered if detailed records are available for further interpretation.