What is the position of Xiaoman in the 24 solar terms?
Xiaoman is the eighth solar term. "Spring rain awakens spring, clear dew, grain in ear; summer fullness, grain in ear, summer heat follows." "Autumn dew, autumn cold, frost falls; winter snow, winter cold, minor and major cold."According to the "Collection of Interpretations of the Seven Two Seasons": "In the fourth month, Xiaoman means that things reach a small but full state." At this time, in northern China, summer crops such as wheat have begun to fill with grains, but they are not yet mature, approximately at the late milk stage, hence it is called Xiaoman. In southern regions, there are folk sayings that give new meanings to Xiaoman: "If Xiaoman is not full, the field banks will dry up"; "If Xiaoman is not full, then even if the time of Grain in Ear comes, it will not matter." The word "full" is used to describe the surplus or shortage of rainfall, indicating that if the fields are not filled with water during Xiaoman, it may lead to dry field banks, even making it impossible to plant rice during the time of Grain in Ear.
What does Xiaoman symbolize?
Xiaoman corresponds to the sun's ecliptic longitude of 60 degrees. It is a solar term that indicates changes in phenology. Phenology refers to the activities of natural plants, trees, birds, and animals according to certain seasonal times, which are closely related to climate change. Therefore, these various activities become signs of the seasons, such as the sprouting, leafing, blooming, fruiting, yellowing, and falling of plants, and the hibernation, revival, singing, breeding, and migration of animals, all of which are constrained by climate change. People refer to these phenomena as phenology.The "Book of Songs" records: "In April, the silk worm is blooming; in May, the cicadas are singing; in August, the dates are picked; in October, the rice is harvested." The "Xiaozheng" from the early Western Han Dynasty is the earliest specialized book on phenology in China, recording phenology, weather, celestial phenomena, and important political and agricultural activities in each of the twelve months of the year, such as farming, sericulture, and horse breeding. Later, the "Lüshi Chunqiu" and "Rites of Zhou" also recorded content about phenology, gradually developing into the 24 solar terms and 72 phenological periods.
In ancient China, five days were considered one phenological period, and three periods formed a solar term. From the beginning of winter to the solar term of Grains in Ear, these eight solar terms include twenty-four phenological periods. Each period has a flower blooming, and the wind that blows when flowers open is called "flower message wind" (meaning the wind that brings the news of blooming). Thus, there is the concept of "24 Flower Message Winds." To accurately describe it, in each of the 24 phenological periods, people select the most accurate flowering plant as a representative, calling it the flower message wind of that period.
