在人类刚开化的时候还没有时间这么一个概念，甚至计数都是以结绳的方法。随着文明的发展，时间的概念开始出现在人类的心中，人们开始有计算时间的需求。早期计算时间的器具很多，有简陋的沙漏，也有精良的日冕。
At the beginning of human civilization, there was no time for such a concept. Even counting was done by knotting. With the development of civilization, the concept of time began to appear in human hearts, and people began to have the need to calculate time. There were many instruments for calculating time in the early days, including simple hourglass and excellent corona.
这些可以算较为小众的报时工具。而在大型场合，大型的报时工具则就是当时的铜钟。铜钟能发出的声音极大，传达极远，所谓“姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船”描述的就是山上寺庙铜钟报时发出的声音远远传达到了姑苏城的河上。
These can be regarded as time-reporting tools for a smaller audience. On large occasions, the large time-telling tools were the copper bells of that time. The so-called "Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, the sound of the bell to the passenger boat at midnight" describes that the sound of the copper bell in the temple on the mountain is far transmitted to the river in Gusu City.