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Minetest notion of a Pointed Thing

In the documentation, the pointed_thing refers to a Lua table that is supplied to some callbacks.

It has a 'type' which can be 'node', and if so it will also have co-ordinates 'above' and 'under' (themselves both tables, each with x, y, z).

The notion of above and under in this context means: -

under the cross-hair; the highlighted node.
above the cross-hair; the node connected to the face of the highlighted node.

When looking at a cross-hair, the bounding box of the node you're looking at highlights the node that is 'under' the cross-hair. Conversely, if you imagine the node that contacts the highlighted node's face, which could simply be air, then this is the 'above' node.

In essence, the cross-hair highlights a face, and this face is the boundary between two nodes. Under is the node on the far side of the cross-hair, from the player's viewpoint, and above is the code on the near side.

Or, more simply, if you press your face against your monitor, the monitor is the 'under' node, and your head is the 'above' node.