二十四节气

中国zhōng guó人rén种zhòng地dì，从来不cóng lái bù只zhī看kān日历rì lì，而是ér shì看kān节气jié qi。一yī年nián二èr十shí四sì个gè节气jié qi，是shì大自然dà zì rán写xiě给gěi农民nóng mín的de二èr十shí四sì封fēng信xìn。

Chinese farmers never farmed by the calendar alone but by the solar terms, twenty-four letters a year written by nature.

这zhè套tào系统xì tǒng诞生dàn shēng在zài两liǎng千qiān多年duō nián前qián的de黄huáng河流hé líu域yù。那nà时候shí hou没有méi yǒu天气tiān qì预报yù bào，人们rén men观察guān chá太阳tài yang、星星xīng xing和hé候hòu鸟niǎo，把bǎ一yī年nián的de变化biàn huà记jì成chéng了liǎo口kǒu诀jué。

The system was born over two thousand years ago in the Yellow River basin. With no weather forecasts, people watched the sun, stars and migrating birds, and turned the year's changes into rhymes.

立lì春chūn，是shì春天chūn tiān的de第dì一yī个gè节气jié qi。老人lǎo rén们men说shuō立lì春chūn要yào吃chī春chūn饼bǐng，叫作jiào zuò咬yǎo春chūn，咬yǎo一yī口kǒu春天chūn tiān的de味道wèi dao。

Lichun opens spring. The elders say you must eat spring pancakes then: 'biting the spring', a taste of the season.

雨水yǔ shuǐ一yī到dào，雪xuě化huà成chéng雨yǔ，土地tǔ dì开始kāi shǐ变biàn软ruǎn。惊jīng蛰zhé更gèng神奇shén qí：打雷dǎ léi惊醒jīng xǐng地下dì xià的de虫子chóng zi，它们tā men一yī个gè一yī个gè钻zuān出来chū lái，春天chūn tiān就jìu真的zhēn de来lái了liǎo。

At Rain Water the snow turns to rain and the soil softens. At Awakening of Insects thunder stirs the creatures underground and spring truly arrives.

清明qīng míng既jì是shì节气jié qi也yě是shì节日jié rì。人们rén men扫墓sǎo mù祭jì祖zǔ，也yě出门chū mén踏tà青qīng。一边yī biān是shì怀念huái niàn，一边yī biān是shì新生xīn shēng，中国zhōng guó人rén把bǎ它们tā men放fàng在zài了liǎo同一tóng yī天tiān。

Qingming is both a term and a festival: people sweep tombs and also go out for spring walks. Remembrance and new life share one day.

谷gǔ雨yǔ是shì春天chūn tiān的de最后zuì hòu一yī个gè节气jié qi。雨yǔ生shēng百bǎi谷gǔ，这zhè时候shí hou的de雨yǔ，是shì庄稼zhuāng jia最zuì需要xū yào的de礼物lǐ wù。

Grain Rain closes spring: rain that births a hundred grains, the gift crops need most.

夏天xià tiān的de节气jié qi带dài着zhuó热气rè qì。夏xià至zhì那nà天tiān白天bái tiān最zuì长zhǎng，北方běi fāng人rén吃chī面miàn，说shuō是shì吃chī了liǎo面miàn，日子rì zi还huán长zhǎng。

Summer terms carry heat. On the solstice the day is longest; northerners eat noodles, saying the days stay long.

大dà暑shǔ最zuì热rè，古人gǔ rén没有méi yǒu空调kōng tiáo，就jìu摇yáo着zhuó扇子shàn zi喝hē绿豆lǜ dòu汤tāng。树荫shù yīn下xià、井jǐng水shuǐ边biān，是shì旧jìu时光shí guāng里lǐ的de空调kōng tiáo房fáng。

Great Heat is hottest; without air conditioning the ancients fanned themselves and drank mung-bean soup under trees and by wells.

立lì秋qiū以后yǐ hòu，早晨zǎo chén开始kāi shǐ有yǒu一yī点diǎn凉liáng。白bái露lòu那nà天tiān，草cǎo叶yè上shàng有yǒu了liǎo露lòu珠zhū，秋天qīu tiān的de味道wèi dao一yī天tiān比bǐ一yī天tiān浓nóng。

After Autumn Begins the mornings cool. At White Dew drops sit on the grass and autumn's flavor deepens daily.

霜shuāng降jiàng之后zhī hòu是shì立lì冬dōng。北方běi fāng人rén开始kāi shǐ囤dùn白菜bái cài、腌yān萝卜luó bo，为wéi漫长màn cháng的de冬天dōng tiān做zuò准备zhǔn bèi。

After Frost's Descent comes Winter Begins: northerners stockpile cabbage and pickle radish for the long winter.

冬dōng至zhì白天bái tiān最zuì短duǎn，北方běi fāng吃chī饺子jiǎo zi，南方nán fāng吃chī汤圆tāng yuán。一家人yī jiā rén围wéi着zhuó桌子zhuō zi吃chī一yī顿dùn，冬天dōng tiān再zài冷lěng也yě不bù怕pà。

On the winter solstice the day is shortest: dumplings in the north, sweet rice balls in the south. A family meal makes any winter bearable.

小xiǎo寒hán大dà寒hán，一yī年nián最zuì冷lěng。冷lěng到dào头tóu了liǎo，春天chūn tiān也yě就jìu不bù远yuǎn了liǎo。二èr十shí四sì节气jié qi走zǒu到dào最后zuì hòu，正好zhèng hǎo是shì一yī圈juàn。

Minor and Major Cold are the year's chilliest, but when cold peaks, spring is near. The terms end exactly where they began.

二èr零líng一yī六lìu年nián，二èr十shí四sì节气jié qi被bèi列入liè rù了liǎo联合国lián hé guó非fēi遗yí名míng录lù。今天jīn tiān城里chéng lǐ人rén不再bù zài种zhòng地dì，节气jié qi却què还huán在zài我们wǒ men的de生活shēng huó里lǐ。

In 2016 the solar terms entered UNESCO's heritage list. City people farm no more, yet the terms live on in our days.

节气jié qi歌gē只有zhǐ yǒu四sì句jù，却què把bǎ一yī整zhěng年nián装zhuāng了liǎo进去jìn qù：春chūn雨yǔ惊jīng春chūn清qīng谷gǔ天tiān，夏xià满mǎn芒máng夏xià暑shǔ相连xiāng lián，秋qiū处chù露lòu秋qiū寒hán霜shuāng降jiàng，冬dōng雪xuě雪xuě冬dōng小xiǎo大dà寒hán。

The solar-term song packs a whole year into four lines: spring rain, startling, clear, grain sky; summer fullness, grain in ear, heat upon heat; autumn place, dew, cold, frost descent; winter snow, little and great cold.

每měi个gè节气jié qi都dōu有yǒu自己zì jǐ的de名字míng zi，而且ér qiě名字míng zi起qǐ得děi特别tè bié有yǒu画面huà miàn感gǎn：芒máng种zhòng，是shì有yǒu芒máng的de麦mài子zi要yào收shōu了liǎo；白bái露lòu，是shì草cǎo上shàng有yǒu了liǎo白色bái sè的de露lòu水shuǐ。

Each term's name paints a picture: Grain in Ear means the bearded wheat is ready; White Dew means white drops on the grass.

惊jīng蛰zhé的de雷léi一yī响xiǎng，村cūn里lǐ的de老人lǎo rén就jìu说shuō：该gāi下xià种zhòng了liǎo。那nà时候shí hou节气jié qi就是jìu shì命令mìng lìng，错过cuò guò一yī天tiān，就jìu可能kě néng少shǎo一yī季jì的de收shōu成chéng。

When the Awakening thunder sounds, village elders say: time to sow. The term was a command, miss a day, lose a season.

古人gǔ rén没有méi yǒu钟zhōng表biǎo，就jìu看kān影子yǐng zi。冬dōng至zhì那nà天tiān影子yǐng zi最zuì长zhǎng，夏xià至zhì那nà天tiān最zuì短duǎn。一yī根gēn木mù棍gùn立lì在zài地上dì shang，就是jìu shì最zuì老lǎo的de年nián历lì。

Without clocks the ancients watched shadows: longest at the winter solstice, shortest at the summer. A stick in the ground was the oldest calendar.

节气jié qi里lǐ还有hái yǒu吃chī食shí的de讲究jiǎng jiu：立lì春chūn吃chī萝卜luó bo，叫jiào咬yǎo春chūn；立lì秋qiū要yào吃chī肉ròu，叫jiào贴tiē秋qiū膘biāo；冬dōng至zhì的de饺子jiǎo zi，说shuō是shì吃chī了liǎo耳朵ěr duo不bù冻dòng。

Each term has its food: radish at spring's start called biting spring; meat at autumn's start called padding autumn fat; solstice dumplings said to keep ears from frost.

南方nán fāng人rén过节guò jié气qì看kān的de是shì花huā和hé雨yǔ：谷gǔ雨yǔ采cǎi茶chá，梅méi雨yǔ晒shài书shū；北方běi fāng人rén过节guò jié气qì看kān的de是shì雪xuě和hé冰bīng：立lì冬dōng封fēng河hé，大dà寒hán杀shā猪zhū。

Southerners read terms in flowers and rain, tea picked at Grain Rain, books aired in the plum rains; northerners in snow and ice, rivers freeze at Winter Begins, pigs are slaughtered at Great Cold.

城市chéng shì里lǐ的de人rén不bù种zhòng地dì了liǎo，节气jié qi却què成chéng了liǎo新xīn的de仪式yí shì：朋友péng you圈juàn里lǐ的de第dì一yī杯bēi奶茶nǎi chá，霜shuāng降jiàng的de第dì一yī锅guō羊yáng肉ròu汤tāng，立lì春chūn的de第dì一yī张zhāng花huā开kāi的de照片zhào piàn。

City people farm no more, yet the terms became new rituals: the first milk tea of the season online, the first lamb hotpot at Frost's Descent, the first flower photo at Spring Begins.

二èr十shí四sì个gè节气jié qi，二èr十shí四sì个gè提醒tí xǐng：慢màn一yī点diǎn，看看kàn kan天tiān，吃chī一yī口kǒu当dàng季jì的de东西dōng xi。时间shí jiān不bù是shì一yī条tiáo直线zhí xiàn，是shì一yī个gè圆yuán。

Twenty-four terms, twenty-four reminders: slow down, look at the sky, eat what's in season. Time is not a line but a circle.

清明qīng míng踏tà青qīng、冬dōng至zhì饺子jiǎo zi、霜shuāng打dǎ的de柿子shì zi格外gé wài甜tián。节气jié qi不bù只是zhǐ shì老lǎo黄huáng历lì，它tā是shì中国zhōng guó人rén看kān时间shí jiān的de方式fāng shì。

Qingming walks, solstice dumplings, frost-kissed persimmons. The terms are no mere almanac, they are how China reads time.