每年4月19日到21日太阳到达黄经30°时，寒潮过去，雨量增加，标志着谷雨节气的到来。

(资料图片仅供参考)

《通纬·孝经援神契》载 “清明后十五日，斗指辰，为谷雨，三月中，言雨生百谷清净明洁也。”也就是说，谷雨中的“谷”指的就是由雨水催发的诸种作物。

When the sun reaches the celestial longitudes of 30° from April 19 to 21 each year, cold currents recede and rainfalls increase, marking the arrival of Grain Rain.

According to the ancient book Tong Wei –Xiao Jing Yuan Shen Qi, “Grain Rain arrives when the Big Dipper pointed at Chen, 15 days after Qingming. In the middle of the third lunar month, crops begin to grow and everything becomes clear with the increase of rainfalls.”Grain Rain derived its name from various crops budding in the rain.

送春归去依依别离

Saying Goodbye to Spring

谷雨是春季的最后一个节气。飞花飘散，浮萍始生，在春夏交替之际，春天消逝的愁绪由景物催生。

送春没有一个确切的时限，例如杜甫的“一片花飞减却春”，说的就是如果敏感的心灵感怀于第一片落花，那即便仍然有枝头满朵，内心的送春却已悄然开始了。

Grain Rain is the last solar term in spring. At the conjuncture between spring and summer, most flowers begin to fade, and aquatic plants begin to sprout. The scene triggers a sense of lament on the end of spring.

There isn’t a specific date to say goodbye to spring. In his poem, Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Du Fu wrote that “spring begins to recede alongside the first falling petal”. Asensitiveperson may lament on the first falling petal. Even if flowers still bloom at the time, they already say goodbye to spring.

图片来源：新华社、版权图片

Photo fromXinhuanet.com& copyright holder

“伤春悲秋”虽然是诸多古代诗文的逻辑，但春生、夏长、秋收、冬藏，万物众生随气候变化而自然地流淌，循环往复，再到明年春来仍是万象更新之时。

四季各安其位，而人法天地，顺时而动。因此春虽归去，却不言悲怀。因为季节的变化、万物的流转是天道必然，二十四节气就是关于天道的智慧。

“月缺花残莫怆然，花终须发月终圆”，春风如故人，有约来年再相逢。

“Grievingover the passing of spring or feelingsad with the advent of autumn”has been a common sentiment conveyed in ancient poems and prose works. However, it is natural for crops to sprout in spring, grow in summer, be harvested in autumn and be stored in winter. The cycle repeats itself year after year. People can witness the renewing of everything with the advent of the next spring.

The four seasons rotate one after another, and people should follow the law of nature and act on the changes of seasons. Thus, there is no need to grieve over the end of spring because the changes of seasons meet the law of nature. The 24 Solar Terms just embody Chinese wisdom on the law of nature.

“It is needless to grieve over the crescentand fading flowers since flowers will boom again and the full moon will re-emerge one day”. Spring is like an old friend who will come to visit us next year.

雨生百谷 布谷声声

Crops Sprout in Rains amid the Singing of Cuckoos

中国传统的二十四节气是在农业实践中产生的，每个节气都是农事“日历”。《群芳谱》对谷雨二字的解释为：“谷雨，谷得雨而生也。”

这个“谷”字，与“小满”、“芒种”等节气名称一样， 是农业文化在华夏文明中留下的鲜明印记。

《月令七十二候集解》中，谷雨的第二候为：“鸣鸠拂其羽”，这里的“鸣鸠”有很多种类，如斑鸠、布谷鸟等。对应上“谷雨”，后人多认为指的是布谷鸟。

The 24 Solar Terms were born in agricultural practicein ancient China. In fact, each of them is connected to agricultural activities. According toQun Fang Pu (Notes on Various Herbs), “the name of Gain Rain was derived from the fact that crops sprout in the rain”.

Just like solar terms like Lesser Fullnessand Grain in Ear, Grain Rain represents a distinct mark left by agricultural culture in Chinese civilization.

According to Yue Ling Qi Shi Er Hou Ji Jie(Collection of Annotations to 72 Lunar Phenological Phenomena), the second phenologicalphenomenonof Grain Rain is “singing birds combing their feathers”. Here, the“birds”refer to species like turtledoves and cuckoos. Later generations usually link Grain Rain with cuckoos.

图片来源：版权图片

Photo from copyright holder

在明张岱的《夜航船》中，他讲到布谷鸟的叫声好似“家家撒谷”催播种，又像“脱却破裤”，似有去旧迎新之意。在农忙时节，飞禽走兽的叫声成了人们珍惜农时的内心投射，不失丰富的想象和盎然的趣味。

In his encyclopedicwork Ye Hang Chuan(Night Vessel), ZhangDai of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) described singing cuckoos as a sign to urge “people to sow grain”or “pull off old pants”–a symbol of ringing out the old and ringing in the new. In the busy farming season, the cry of beasts and birds reflects the inner desire of the people, which demonstrates Chinese ancestors’rich, interesting imagination.

煮茶闲坐 谷雨茶事

Enjoying Tea around Grain Rain

图片来源：版权图片

Photo from copyright holder

民间谚云“谷雨谷雨，采茶对雨”，收茶喝茶也是谷雨的习俗。谷雨摘茶，沏来可以清火明目。唐人齐己有诗云：“春山谷雨前，并手摘芳烟。绿嫩难盈笼，清和易晚天。且招邻院客，试煮落花泉……”

天气清和明丽之时，登上茶山采摘新茶，以泉水烹之，清香怡人，招引邻人闲坐品茶谈天，其乐无穷。

An old saying goes that “Grain Rain is a time to collect tea leaves in the rain.”Collecting and drinking tea is a traditional custom of Grain Rain. Tea gathered just before Grain Rain can clear away internal heat and improve eyesight. QiJi, a monk and poet in the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem: “Prior to Grain Rain, I collect tea leaves with both hands in the spring mountain; The green tea leaves are too light to fill the basket to the full until the clear day turns to darkness; Gathering with neighbors in the courtyard, I try to soak the tea with water from the falling flower spring…”

On a clear, bright day, it is enjoyable to collect fresh tea from mountains, soak it with spring water, and enjoy it with your neighbors while chatting with each other.

图片来源：新华网

Photo from Xinhuanet.com

郑板桥又写下这样的诗句为“雨前茶”助兴：“几枝新叶萧萧竹，数笔横皴淡淡山。正好清明连谷雨，一杯香茗坐其间。”

寥寥几语中，道出“诗与画相生，人与自然共在”的境界。诗画中人造的自然与人所处的真实自然融为一体，似乎又让我们想起“茶”字的结构——“人”在“草木”间。

人间茶事，赏心乐事。

ZhengBanqiao, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), also wrote a poem on “tea before Grain Rain”: “Amid several bamboos with newly sprouted leaves, I draw the distant mountain with simple strokes; As Qingming has passed and Grain Rain is arriving, I sips a cup of scented tea in the middle of the yard.”

This poem vividly depicts the harmony between poetry and painting and the coexistencebetween man and nature. The artificial “nature”depicted in poems and paintings integrates with the real nature, reminding us the structure of the Chinese character for “tea”, which indicates a man sitting amid grass and tree.

It is a pleasant experienceto enjoy tea.

仓颉造字 汉字传承

Cang JieInventing Chinese Characters and the Inheritance of Chinese Language

说来，谷雨这个节气还与中文有些因缘。传说仓颉造字后，一场谷子雨从天降下，这一天就叫作“谷雨”，这也是“谷雨”节气来由的另一种说法。

这个故事被记录在《淮南子》里：“昔者苍颉作书，而天雨粟，鬼夜哭”。这两种异象告诉我们，文字的出现是文明发展里程碑式的事件。天雨粟，是对人类从此开化的礼赞；而鬼夜哭，是因为魑魅魍魉从此被语言网罗而无处遁形。

In fact, Grain Rain has some relations with Chinese characters. Legend goes that after Cang Jie invented Chinese characters, a grain rain fell, so that day was called Grain Rain. This is another saying about the origin of Grain Rain.

The legend was recorded in Huai Nan Zi(Writings of Prince Huainan): “On the day when Cang Jie invented Chinese characters, a grain rain fell and ghosts cried at night.”Such a depiction indicates the invention of Chinese characters is a milestone event in the history of Chinese civilization. The “grain rain”symbolized an eulogy of civilization, and “ghosts cried”because they would have nowhere to hide with the invention of written language.

甲骨文（左）、造字始祖仓颉（右）

图片来源：《殷墟甲骨书体文分类萃编》、中华豫商网

Oracle bone inscriptions (left) and a portrait of Cang Jie, the legendaryinventor of Chinese characters (middle)

Photos from Classified Collection of Oracle Bone Inscriptions Unearthed from the Yin Ruinsand Yushang.org.cn

为纪念造字始祖仓颉，也为推动联合国六种官方语言之一的中文在全球范围内使用，联合国将每年4月20日定为“中文语言日”。

“谷雨”与汉字间这奇妙的联系也在不断提醒着我们，二十四节气不仅是自然规律记载的提炼，先民们对天地时空感受的凝结，更与中国传统文化的方方面面都密不可分。

To remember Cang Jie, the inventor of Chinese characters, and promote the global use of Chinese language, one of the six official languages of the United Nations, April 20 has been designated as the UN Chinese Language Day.

The wondrous connection between Grain Rain and Chinese characters continues reminding us that the 24 Solar Terms are not only an embodiment of the law of nature extracted by Chinese ancestors based on their feelings of heaven and earth, but also have inseparablerelations with every aspect of traditional Chinese culture.

节气提示

Tips for Grain Rain

谷雨时分气温逐渐升高，南方有些地方已能感受到暑热，人们的室外活动增加，一些地区的杨絮、柳絮四处飞扬，过敏体质的人们应注意防止花粉症及过敏性鼻炎、过敏性哮喘等。“雨前茶”与“明前茶”齐名，富含多种维生素和氨基酸，谷雨适宜品茶养生。

The temperaturegradually rises with the advent of Grain Rain. People would already feel it hot in some places of southern China. By the time, outdoors activities have increased. Considering that poplar and willow catkins float everywhere, those with allergiesshould pay attention to avoiding diseases like pollinosis, allergic rhinitis, and allergic asthma. Enjoying a similar fame with “tea before Qingming”, “tea before Grain Rain”contains rich vitaminsand amino acids and are thus good to health.

参考资料：

1. 谷雨节气知多少：传说与仓颉有关 意味暮春到来，央视网

2. 我们的节日｜中国传统二十四节气：谷雨，中国美术学院百家号

3. 余世存，《时间之书：余世存说二十四季节》，中国友谊出版公司，2017年1月第一版

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