◎供稿：许林玉

上期，我们介绍了二十四节气的起源、分类和应用等。本期，我们将逐一介绍二十四节气与天气变化、农业生产之间的关系。

February 4,the opening day of the 24th Winter Olympic Games,was this year’s“Lichun”,or the beɡinninɡ of sprinɡ,the first of the 24 solar terms of the traditional lunar Chinese calendar that was an1)inspirationbehind the ceremony.

The second solar term of the year is“Yushui”,or rain water.The rain is vital for the ɡrowth of crops and other flora.From that day on,the rainfall increases to2)nourishthe land.The subsolar point moves from the Southern Hemisphere close to the equator,and the Northern Hemisphere gains more sunlight and turns warmer.After the period of rain comes the third solar term“Jingzhe”,or3)awakeningof insects.As spring thunderstorms wake up hibernating insects and seeds,the arrival of“Jingzhe”marks the vitality of life.

When“Chunfen”,or spring equinox,arrives,the sun is exactly at the celestial lonɡitude of 0 deɡrees (the equator) and day and niɡht are approximately equal in length.

“Qinɡminɡ”(pure briɡhtness) and“Guyu”(ɡrain rain) are the last two solar terms of spring.Both of them describe a warmer,moister and greener land.“Qingming”is also a traditional festival when people go to the tombs of their families to sweep them and worship the ancestors.

“Lixia”,or the beginning of summer,falls on May 5 this year.As the seventh of the 24 solar terms,it marks the end of spring,4)especiallyin southern China.

1) inspiration [ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃn] n.灵感；鼓舞人心的人（或事物）

2) nourish [ˈnʌrɪʃ ] v.养育；滋养

3) awaken [əˈweɪkən] v.唤醒

4) especially [ɪˈspeʃəli] adv.尤其；特别

词组加油站

be vital for 对……是至关重要的

be equal in 在某方面相等

fall on 降临；落到

The second solar term of summer is“Xiaoman”,or grain buds.The temperature differences between north and south narrow when“Xiaoman”arrives,but the rainfall in southern China is greater than in the north.And the summer grains and crops start to fill out;hence the term can also be understood as“fullness for grains,fullness for rivers”.

The summer planting starts at“Mangzhong”,or grain in ear.Fields,wheat seedlinɡs,quiet mountains and sinɡinɡ birds offer the best interpretation of this period.

As time goes by,the sun5)eventuallyreaches its northernmost point of the year,almost directly above the Tropic of Cancer,marking the arrival of“Xiazhi”,or summer solstice,when the daytime in the Northern Hemisphere is the longest for the year.

“Xiaoshu”(minor heat) and“Dashu”(major heat) are the last two solar terms of summer.This is when the average temperature is the highest,rainfall is the greatest,and thunderstorms are most6)frequentfor most of the country.

“Liqiu”,or the beginning of autumn will arrive on August 7 this year.Even though autumn has begun,the summer heat will continue to the next solar term“Chushu”,or end of heat.

The real coolness comes with“Bailu”,or white dew,when the temperature gap between day and night gradually increases.Three days after this year’s“Bailu”is the Mid-Autumn Festival (September 10),another important7)occasionto reunite with family for Chinese people.

“Qiufen”,or autumn equinox,is the same as“Chunfen”(sprinɡ equinox)when day and night equally divide the whole day.Daytime gets shorter as the subsolar point moves from the equator to the Southern Hemisphere,and temperatures continue to drop.

5) eventually [ɪˈventʃuəli] adv.最后；最终

6) frequent ['friːkw(ə)nt] adj.频繁地

7) occasion [əˈkeɪʒn] n.场合；场景；（某事发生的）时候

“Hanlu”(cold dew) and“Shuanɡjianɡ”(frost’s descent) mean the weather is gradually reach dew point,and then to frost point.It’s an early warning of winter.

Autumn leaves,winter comes,and time flies.November 7 is this year’s“Lidong”,or the beginning of winter.

“Xiaoxue”(minor snow) and“Daxue”(major snow) reflect a sharp decline in temperatures.The ancient agriculturalists believed that snow can kill pests and nourish the soil,and there’s an old saying,“Minor Snow day falling snow,gold growing in the soil.”

“Dongzhi”,or winter solstice,sees the shortest daytime and the longest nighttime as the sun reaches its southernmost point of the year.They are followed by“Xiaohan”(minor cold) and“Dahan”(major cold),the last two solar terms.

今年2 月4 日，即第24 届冬季奥林匹克运动会开幕式当天，正值“立春”。这是中国传统农历二十四节气中的第一个节气，北京冬奥会开幕式倒计时的灵感正是来源于此。

“雨水”是一年中的第二个节气。雨水对农作物和其他植物的生长至关重要。从这一天起，降雨量增加，土地因此得到滋养。日下点从南半球移至赤道附近，北半球阳光更加充足，因此会变得更为温暖。雨水期过后是第三个节气“惊蛰”。春雷唤醒冬眠的昆虫和种子，随着“惊蛰”的来临，生命的活力开始涌动。

“春分”到来之际，太阳正好位于黄经0 度（赤道），昼夜时长大致相等。

“清明”和“谷雨”是春季的最后两个节气。此时大地温润，草木葱茏。清明也是一个传统节日，人们在这一天清扫墓地，祭拜祖先。

今年的“立夏”在5 月5 日。作为二十四节气中的第七个节气，它标志着春天的结束，尤其是在中国南方地区。

夏季的第二个节气是“小满”。“小满”到来时，南北温差缩小，但中国南方的降雨量较北方大。谷物等农作物开始变得饱满。因此，该节气也可以理解为“谷物饱满，河水丰盈”。

夏季播种从“芒种”开始。田野、麦苗、幽静的山峦和鸣唱的鸟儿，是对这一时节最好的诠释。

随着时间的推移，太阳最终到达一年中的最北端，几乎位于北回归线正上方。这标志着“夏至”的到来，此时北半球的白昼时间达到全年最长。

“小暑”和“大暑”是夏季的最后两个节气。此时平均气温最高，降雨量最大，大部分地区的雷雨天气最为频繁。

今年的“立秋”在8 月7 日。尽管秋天已至，但暑热仍将持续至下一节气——“处暑”。

到了“白露”，天气真正凉爽起来，此时昼夜温差逐渐加大。今年的“白露”过去三天之后（9 月10 日）便是中秋节，这是中国人与家人团聚的另一个重要时刻。

与“春分”一样，在“秋分”这一天，昼夜平分。随着日下点从赤道向南半球移动，白天变得越来越短，气温也持续下降。

“寒露”和“霜降”意味着天气逐渐达到露点，然后达到霜点。这是冬天来临的前兆。

时光飞逝，秋去冬来。今年的“立冬”在11 月7 日，冬季自此开始。

“小雪”和“大雪”反映了气温的急剧下降。古代农学家认为，雪可以杀灭害虫，滋养土壤。俗话说：“小雪雪满天，来年必丰年。”

“冬至”这一天，太阳到达一年中的最南端。此时白昼最短，夜晚最长。接下来是最后两个节气——“小寒”和“大寒”。