Sunday 7 October 2018

CN-2487111 The 24 Solar Terms - qiū fēn 秋分

I received this interesting card from Annabell (Postcrossing, October 2018). It shows one of the 24 solar terms. This particular solar term is qiū fēn 秋分 (Autumnal equinox). But I am puzzled by the words in the top right corner of the postcard which read "Insects awaken" which is actually jīng zhé 惊蛰 a different solar term. Perhaps there was a printing error?

This interesting postcard shows the food associated with the time of the year.

Now I hope to get the other 23 cards associated with the 24 solar terms (ha ha). 


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What are the 24 solar terms?

The 24 solar terms, based on the sun's position in the zodiac, were created by farmers in ancient China to guide the agricultural affairs and farming activities. The 24 solar terms reflect the changes in climate, natural phenomena, agricultural production, and other aspects of human life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation. The 24 solar terms play important roles and have greatly influenced people's basic needs in life, and they still have an important function nowadays.

The 24 solar terms are:


Start of Spring lì chūn 立春
Rain Water yǔ shuǐ 雨水
Awakening of Insects jīng zhé 惊蛰
Vernal Equinox chūn fēn 春分
Clear and Bright qīng míng 清明
Grain Rain gǔ yǔ 谷雨
Start of Summer lì xià 立夏
Small Full (Grain) xiǎo mǎn 小满
Grain in Ear máng zhǒng 芒种
Summer Solstice xià zhì 夏至
Minor Heat xiǎo shǔ 小暑
Major Heat dà shǔ 大暑
Start of Autumn lì qiū 立秋
Limit of Heat chù shǔ 处暑
White Dew bái lù 白露
Autumnal Equinox qiū fēn 秋分
Cold Dew hán lù 寒露
Frost Descent shuāng jiàng 霜降
Start of Winter lì dōng 立冬
Minor Snow xiǎo xuě 小雪
Major Snow dà xuě 大雪
Winter Solstice dōng zhì 冬至
Minor Cold xiǎo hán 小寒
Major Cold dà hán 大寒

From the names of the 24 solar terms, we can see that the division of the solar terms has fully considered the variation of natural phenomena, such as seasons, climates and phenology.

The solar terms known as Start of Spring, Start of Summer, Start of Autumn, and Start of Winter are used to reflect the change of seasons, dividing the year into four seasons of exactly three months. While this fits an ideal pattern of dates, it does not reflect observable reality in most of China.

The solar terms of Vernal Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice are divided from an astronomical aspect, reflecting the turning point of the variation of the altitude of the sun.

Minor Heat, Major Heat, Limit of Heat, Minor Cold, and Major Cold reflect the changes of temperature in different periods.

Clear and Bright, Rain Water, Grain Rain, Minor Snow, and Major Snow, White Dew, Cold Dew, and Frost Descent reflect the phenomenon of precipitation, indicating the time and intensity of rainfall, snowfall, dew, and frost.

Small Full (Grain) and Grain in Ear reflect the maturity and harvest time of crops, while Awakening of Insects reflects observed insect activity.

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