水平、平面、平均海水「位」：論幾個與基準相關譯名

Horizontal, Plane, Mean Sea Level: The Translation for several Datum related Terms

現代的測繪科技，發源於歐洲，在16世紀時首由耶穌會傳教士利瑪竇（Matteo Ricci）傳入中國。因此，測繪相關術語，率多為譯名。部分的名詞在引進當下，或受限於當時之知識，或因前輩基於個人認知之選擇，以及其他諸如科技進展等因素，而使得譯名隨著時間前行而產生重新檢視之需求。本文就「水平」以及「平面」兩個名詞之意涵，探討過去常用情境，從而省思。同樣地，「平均海水位」與「平均海水面」，在過去混用的情況，亦需要釐清。

The surveying and mapping technology of today originated from Europe, then was brought into China by Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci in the 16^(th) century. Consequently, most terminology in Chinese were direct translations. Parts of the translated terminology were limited by the knowledge at the time, influenced by the personal background of the person who made the translation, or affected by other factors. Thus, there exists the need to review this translated terminology from time to time. In this note, the Chinese terms for ＂horizontal＂ and ＂plane＂ are discussed, along with an explanation of why ＂Mean Sea Level＂ and ＂Mean Sea Surface＂ are no longer considered equivalent.