While the heavens were variously described as being like an umbrella covering the Earth (the Kai Tian theory), or like a sphere surrounding it (the Hun Tian theory), or as being without substance while the heavenly bodies float freely (the Hsüan yeh theory), the Earth was at all times flat, although perhaps bulging up slightly.
În timp ce descrierea cerurilor a variat, fiind comparate cu o umbrelă care acoperă pământul (teoria Kai Tian), sau ca o sferă care îl înconjoară (teoria Hun Tian), sau ca fiind lipsite de substanță, în timp ce corpurile cerești plutesc liber (teoria Hsuan Yeh), pământul era tot timpul plat, deși, probabil, ușor bombat în sus.”