HSK 6 · Article · 626 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-are-the-24-solar-terms

二十四节气是什么？

What are the 24 solar terms?

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2022年nián2月yuè4日rì晚上wǎnshang，北京冬奥会běijīngdōng’àohuì的de开幕式kāimùshì是shì从cóng一yí段duàn特别tèbié的de倒计时dàojìshí开始kāishǐ的de。一共yígòng二十四èrshísì秒miǎo，每měi一yì秒miǎo代表dàibiǎo一yí个gè节气jiéqi，同时tóngshí也yě代表dàibiǎo这zhè是shì第二十四dì’èr-shísì届jiè冬奥会dōng’àohuì。最后zuìhòu，烟花yānhuā在zài夜空yèkōng中zhōng拼pīn出chū了le两liǎng个gè汉字hànzì：“立春lìchūn”。原来yuánlái，那nà一天yìtiān正好zhènghǎo是shì春天chūntiān开始kāishǐ的de日子rìzi。

那么nàme，节气jiéqi到底dàodǐ是shì什么shénme？简单jiǎndān地de说shuō，古人gǔrén根据gēnjù太阳tàiyáng的de位置wèizhì，把bǎ一yì年nián分成fēnchéng二十四èrshísì段duàn，每měi一yí段duàn大约dàyuē十五shíwǔ天tiān，每měi一yí个gè分界点fēnjièdiǎn都dōu有yǒu自己zìjǐ的de名字míngzi。很hěn多duō人rén以为yǐwéi中国zhōngguó的de传统chuántǒng日历rìlì只zhǐ看kàn月亮yuèliang，其实qíshí这zhè二十四èrshísì个gè日子rìzi跟gēn月亮yuèliang没有méiyǒu关系guānxì，完全wánquán是shì跟着gēnzhe太阳tàiyáng走zǒu的de。所以suóyǐ，它们tāmen在zài公历gōnglì上shàng的de日期rìqī几乎jīhū每年měinián都dōu一样yíyàng：立春lìchūn总zǒng在zài2月yuè4日rì左右zuǒyòu，冬至dōngzhì总zǒng在zài12月yuè22日rì左右zuǒyòu。

为什么wèishénme要yào跟着gēnzhe太阳tàiyáng走zǒu呢ne？古代gǔdài的de中国zhōngguó是shì一个yígè农业nóngyè社会shèhuì，在zài黄河huánghé边biān种地zhòngdì的de农民nóngmín最zuì需要xūyào知道zhīdào的de是shì：什么shénme时候shíhou该gāi播种bōzhǒng，什么shénme时候shíhou该gāi收割shōugē庄稼zhuāngjia。月亮yuèliang是shì圆yuán是shì缺quē，对duì种zhòng庄稼zhuāngjia没有méiyǒu太tài大dà的de帮助bāngzhù，太阳tàiyáng却què决定juédìng着zhe天气tiānqì的de冷暖léngnuǎn和hé雨水yúshuǐ的de多少duōshao。古人gǔrén先xiān找出zhǎochū了le春分chūnfēn、秋分qiūfēn、夏至xiàzhì和hé冬至dōngzhì这zhè四sì个gè最zuì重要zhòngyào的de日子rìzi，后来hòulái又yòu一步步yíbùbù细分xìfēn，到dào两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián前qián，二十四èrshísì个gè节气jiéqi已经yǐjīng全部quánbù写进xiějìn了le历法lìfǎ。

这些zhèxiē名字míngzi本身běnshēn就jiù像xiàng农民nóngmín写xiě的de日记rìjì。“惊蛰jīngzhé”的de意思yìsi是shì，春雷chūnléi响xiǎng了le，躲duǒ在zài土tǔ里一yì冬天dōngtiān的de虫子chóngzi被bèi惊醒jīngxǐng了le；“谷雨gúyǔ”是shì说shuō，雨水yúshuǐ来lái了le，正好zhènghǎo帮助bāngzhù粮食liángshi生长shēngzhǎng；“芒种mángzhòng”提醒tíxǐng人们rénmen，该gāi抓紧zhuājǐn时间shíjiān种地zhòngdì了le。为了wèile记住jìzhu这zhè二十四èrshísì个gè名字míngzi，孩子háizi们men从小cóngxiǎo就jiù会huì背bèi一yì首shǒu顺口溜shùnkǒuliū，第一dìyī句jù是shì“春雨惊春清谷天”，说shuō的de就是jiùshì春天chūntiān的de六liù个gè节气jiéqi。四sì句jù话huà，二十八èrshíbā个gè字zì，一yì年nián就jiù全都quándōu装zhuāng了le进去jìnqu。

今天jīntiān，大多数dàduōshù人rén已经yǐjīng不bú种地zhòngdì了le，可kě节气jiéqi并bìng没有méiyǒu被bèi忘记wàngjì。清明qīngmíng既jì是shì节气jiéqi，也yě是shì扫墓sǎomù的de节日jiérì；冬至dōngzhì那天nàtiān，北方běifāng很hěn多duō家庭jiātíng要yào吃chī饺子jiǎozi。这zhè套tào方法fāngfǎ后来hòulái还hái传chuán到dào了le朝鲜半岛cháoxiǎn-bàndǎo、日本rìběn和hé越南yuènán。2016年nián，二十四节气èrshísìjiéqì被bèi列入lièrù了le联合国教科文组织liánhéguójiàokēwénzǔzhī的de人类rénlèi非物质文化遗产fēiwùzhìwénhuàyíchǎn名录mínglù。下次xiàcì你nǐ在zài手机shǒujī上shàng看到kàndào“今日jīnrì立秋lìqiū”，不妨bùfáng抬头táitóu看看kànkan天空tiānkōng：两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián来lái，中国zhōngguó人rén一直yìzhí是shì这样zhèyàng跟着gēnzhe太阳tàiyáng生活shēnghuó的de。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
开幕式	kāimùshì	opening ceremony
代表	dàibiǎo	representative; delegate
届	jiè	classifier for sessions, terms and graduating classes (as in 第十届)
拼	pīn	to go all out; to risk one's life
位置	wèizhì	position; place; location
传统	chuántǒng	tradition; traditional; conventional
日历	rìlì	calendar
古代	gǔdài	ancient times; antiquity
农业	nóngyè	agriculture; farming
农民	nóngmín	peasant; farmer
圆	yuán	round; circular; circle
雨水	yúshuǐ	rain; rainwater

English (for the teacher)

On the evening of 4 February 2022, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics began with an unusual countdown. It lasted twenty-four seconds: each second stood for one solar term, and also for these being the twenty-fourth Winter Games. At the end, fireworks spelled out two Chinese characters in the night sky: 立春, “start of spring”. That day, it turned out, was exactly the day spring begins.

So what exactly is a solar term? Put simply, the ancient Chinese used the sun's position to divide the year into twenty-four stretches of about fifteen days each, and every dividing point has its own name. Many people think China's traditional calendar only follows the moon, but these twenty-four days have nothing to do with the moon: they follow the sun completely. That's why they fall on almost the same Western calendar dates every year: the Start of Spring is always around 4 February, and the winter solstice around 22 December.

Why follow the sun? Ancient China was a farming society, and what farmers by the Yellow River most needed to know was when to sow and when to bring in the grain. Whether the moon is full or not is not much help in farming, but the sun decides how hot or cold it is and how much rain falls. People first found the four most important days, the spring and autumn equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices, then divided the year more finely step by step, and by more than two thousand years ago all twenty-four terms had been written into the official calendar.

The names themselves read like a farmer's diary. Jingzhe, “awakening of insects”, means spring thunder has come and the insects hiding in the soil have been startled awake; Guyu, “grain rain”, says the rain has come just in time to help the grain grow; Mangzhong, “grain in ear”, reminds people to hurry and get planting. To remember all twenty-four names, children learn a short rhyme by heart, whose first line, 春雨惊春清谷天, names the six terms of spring. Four lines, twenty-eight characters, and the whole year is packed in.

Today most people no longer farm, but the solar terms have not been forgotten. Qingming is both a solar term and the festival for sweeping family graves, and on the winter solstice many families in the north eat dumplings. This way of marking the year also later spread to the Korean peninsula, Japan and Vietnam. In 2016 the twenty-four solar terms were added to UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Next time your phone says “Today is the Start of Autumn”, look up at the sky: for more than two thousand years, this is how the Chinese have lived by the sun.