The Chinese believed that celestial phenomena affected and were affected by political events on earth--that heaven intervened in human affairs, and human affairs also influenced heaven. Hence monarchs did not dare disregard the "will of heaven." As well as issuing commands appropriate to the time and season of the year, when informed of any disaster they would examine their own past actions to find the cause.
中國人相信天象和人世間的政治是互動的，天會干預人間，人事也會感應上天，因此君主莫不重視「天意」，除為了「視天時而布政令」，也要「察災祥而省得失」。