中国古代有着发达的航海、渔业、制盐、潮灌、海战、海岸工程建设等海洋活动。这些活动离不开潮汐,因此必须掌握潮汐时刻及其变化规律。潮汐是有规律的,“天下至信者莫如潮,生、落、盛、衰,各有时刻,故潮得以信言也”。中国古代潮汐学家大都进行过验潮工作。潮汐论著大多数有潮候内容。古代沿海地方志中常记载有潮汐表和潮候谚语,其中一些 Ancient China has developed marine activities such as navigation, fishery, salt making, tidal irrigation, naval battle and coastal construction. These activities can not be separated from the tides, so we must grasp the tidal moment and its changing rules. The tide is regular, “Mohism in the world to the letter, students, fall, Sheng, decline, each have their own time, so the tide to the letter also.” Most Chinese ancient tide scientists conducted tide-tide work. Most tidal monographs have a wave of content. Ancient coastal local chronicle often contains tide tables and the wet sayings, some of them