Understanding the 24 Solar Terms in One Article

The 24 solar terms are related knowledge The Song of the 24 Solar Terms Spring rain startles spring, clear and grain rain sky, summer full awn summer heat linked together, Autumn ends dew autumn cold frost descends, winter snow snow winter minor and major cold. The 24 Solar Terms in Seven-Character Verse The earth revolves around the sun, one full circle makes a year. The year is divided into twelve months, the 24 solar terms closely linked. Calculated according to the Gregorian calendar, two terms per month do not change. In the first half of the year they fall on the 6th and 21st, in the second half on the 8th and 23rd. These are the transition days, off by no more than a day or two. The 24 solar terms have their order, remember this mnemonic well: January Minor Cold followed by Major Cold, February Start of Spring and Rain Water linked; Awakening of Insects and Spring Equinox in March, Clear and Bright and Grain Rain in April days; May Start of Summer and Grain Buds, June Grain in Ear and Summer Solstice linked; July Major Heat and Minor Heat, Start of Autumn and End of Heat in August time; September White Dew followed by Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew and Frost Descent all in October; Start of Winter and Minor Snow in November, Major Snow and Winter Solstice welcome the new year. Seize the seasons and busy with production, plant and harvest in time to ensure a bountiful year. With the spread of the Chinese calendar, the 24 solar terms have spread to many places in the world. Start of Spring: Li means beginning, so Start of Spring is the beginning of spring. Rain Water: Rain begins, and rainfall gradually increases. Awakening of Insects: Zhe means to hide. Awakening of Insects refers to the first rumble of spring thunder, awakening the animals that have been hibernating hidden in the soil. Spring Equinox: Fen means to divide equally. Spring Equinox indicates that day and night are equally divided. Clear and Bright: The weather is clear and bright, and vegetation is lush. Grain Rain: Rain gives life to a hundred grains. With sufficient and timely rainfall, grain crops can grow vigorously. Start of Summer: The beginning of summer. Grain Buds: The grains of summer-ripening crops such as wheat begin to fill out. Grain in Ear: Awned crops such as wheat mature. Summer Solstice: The hot summer arrives. Minor Heat: Shu means hot. Minor Heat means the climate begins to become hot. Major Heat: The hottest time of the year. Start of Autumn: The beginning of autumn. End of Heat: Chu means to end or hide. End of Heat indicates that the hot summer days are over. White Dew: The weather turns cool, and dew condenses and appears white. Autumn Equinox: Day and night are equally divided. Cold Dew: The dew is cold and about to freeze. Frost Descent: The weather gradually turns cold, and frost begins to appear. Start of Winter: The beginning of winter. Minor Snow: Snow begins to fall. Major Snow: Snowfall increases, and snow may accumulate on the ground. Winter Solstice: The cold winter arrives. Minor Cold: The climate begins to become cold. Major Cold: The coldest time of the year. The 24 solar terms originated in the Yellow River basin. As far back as the Spring and Autumn period, the four solar terms of mid-spring, mid-summer, mid-autumn and mid-winter were established. After continuous improvement and refinement, by the Qin and Han dynasties the 24 solar terms were fully established. In 104 BC, the Taichu Calendar, formulated by Deng Ping and others, formally included the 24 solar terms in the calendar and clarified the astronomical positions of the 24 solar terms. Starting from zero degrees of celestial longitude, the time the sun takes to travel every 15 degrees along the celestial longitude is called one solar term. Each year it travels 360 degrees, passing through 24 solar terms in total, 2 per month. Among them, the first solar term of each month is a jieqi, namely: Start of Spring, Awakening of Insects, Clear and Bright, Start of Summer, Grain in Ear, Minor Heat, Start of Autumn, White Dew, Cold Dew, Start of Winter, Major Snow and Minor Cold, 12 solar terms in all; the second solar term of each month is a zhongqi, namely: Rain Water, Spring Equinox, Grain Rain, Grain Buds, Summer Solstice, Major Heat, End of Heat, Autumn Equinox, Frost Descent, Minor Snow, Winter Solstice and Major Cold, 12 solar terms in all. The jieqi and zhongqi appear alternately, each lasting 15 days, and now people have already collectively called the jieqi and zhongqi solar terms. The 24 solar terms reflect the sun's annual apparent motion, so the dates of the solar terms in the current Gregorian calendar are basically fixed, falling on the 6th and 21st in the first half of the year, and on the 8th and 23rd in the second half, with a margin of no more than 1 to 2 days. The Song of the 24 Solar Terms Spring rain startles clear and grain rain sky, Summer full awn solstice two heats linked. Autumn ends dew equinox cold frost descends, Winter snow snow winter minor and major cold. Start of Spring begins in February of the solar calendar, Two terms per month do not change. In the first half of the year they fall on the 6th and 21st, In the second half on the 8th and 23rd. Related Couplets In our country's lunar calendar there are 24 solar terms in a year. Among our country's couplets, many take the solar terms as their theme, and some are very brilliant, for example: it is said that in the Ming dynasty there was an education commissioner who, while touring Tiantai Mountain in Zhejiang, lodged overnight in a thatched hut in the mountains. The next morning when he rose, he saw the thatched hut covered in white frost, felt something in his heart and casually recited the upper line: Last night Major Cold, frost descended on the thatched hut like Minor Snow The couplet embeds three solar terms, flowing smoothly in one breath, without a trace. For a time it became an unmatched line. It was not until modern times that Mr. Zhao Gongpei of Zhejiang matched it with the lower line: This morning Awakening of Insects, spring equinox timely rain arrives at Clear and Bright Likewise three solar terms, matched very neatly. Another couplet is even more literary and scientific: February Spring Equinox, August Autumn Equinox, day and night neither long nor short; Three years one intercalary, five years another intercalary, yin and yang without error or mistake. The upper line not only points out the months in which the two solar terms Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox fall, but also explains the time characteristics of these two months very clearly, namely that in the second and eighth months day and night are equal. The lower line then shifts to another angle, setting out the regularity of lunar leap years, and its scientific nature is beyond doubt. Hong Chengchou, originally a minister of the Ming dynasty and later surrendering to the Qing, matched a couplet while playing chess with someone on the day of Grain Rain, saying: One game of brilliant chess, today I almost forgot Grain Rain; Two dynasties' leader, how in another year will he be distinguished from Clear and Bright. The upper line was composed by Hong Chengchou, and the lower line was matched by his fellow chess player. The intent was to satirize Hong for losing righteousness and disgracing his integrity, a double meaning with deep satire hidden within.