纹影法是一种将位相分布转换为可见图象的光学方法。本文介绍实现这一方法的基本实验装置。着重举出纹影法在显示折射率、温度、密度及应力等物理量的不均匀性方面的应用;并举出国外用纹影法在研究等离子体、液体、冲击波及在空气动力学等方面的应用的例子。 The smear method is an optical method that converts the phase distribution into a visible image. This article describes the basic experimental setup for implementing this method. The paper puts emphasis on the application of the schlieren method in displaying the inhomogeneity of the physical quantities such as the refractive index, temperature, density and stress. The paper also gives the application of the profiling method abroad in the research of plasma, liquid, shock wave and aerodynamics example.