学而时习之 小满 lesser fullness

二十四节气之小满，中英对照，干货满满...

学而时习之“Wheat gradually turns yellow on Lesser Fullness. Since the summer is coming, we can smell the aroma of paddy fields.” As I strolled down the suburban farm with my friends during the weekend, we saw fully-grown wheat grains shinning brightly under the sunshine. The thick and fragrant aroma was overflowing and it gave the cornfield vigor and vitality. The exuberant scenery and pleasant sunshine swept our fatigue and worries of studies and it also drove away the terrible haze buried in our hearts. Lesser Fullness is here.

“小满麦渐黄，夏至稻花香”，周末与朋友漫步在郊外田间，颗颗饱满的麦穗在日光的映衬下越发黄澄澄，馥郁的麦香四处溢散，将熟未熟的麦地透着一股勃勃的生机。这样蓬勃旺盛而又惬意舒适的风光让我们一扫几日来在学业上的困顿，一扫罩在心中的雾霾。小满来了。

Lesser Fullness is one of the 24 solar terms in China; it’s also the 2nd solar term for the summer. Twenty-four solar terms says, “The middle of April is Lesser Fullness, as grains turn full and ripe.” Since Lesser Fullness knocked at our grainy door, barley and wheat start to get ripe; therefore this special day was given the name, Lesser Fullness. It symbolizes when the seeds of the summer crops begin to turn plump. The poet Fan Chengda who lived in Song Dynasty wrote in his poem that portrayed a scene of when grains are flourishing and peasants are busy harvesting: “Plum turns golden and apricot turns fat, the beauty of wheat flower is overwhelming the sparse cauliflower. Peasants still work hard even though the sun is about to set down, while the butterflies and dragonflies have fun in the exuberant scenery.” Another famous litterateur in Song Dynasty Ouyang Xiu said: “Who knows the current happiness of the peasants? I merely know that they won’t go back home early.” However, there is a subterranean flow hidden under the elated face of the grains. Due to the weather variations after Lesser Fullness, rainwater becomes the key to farming success. Since the Northern winter wheat gradually turns ripe, peasants in the South begin to transplant rice seedling and if the rainwater is too much or too little, grains will be in danger.

小满是二十四节气之一，为夏季的第二个节气。《月令七十二候集解》中说，“四月中，小满者，物致于此小得盈满。”从小满开始，北方的大麦、小麦等开始成熟，小满因此得名。宋代诗人范成大曾赋诗描写小满时节万物欣欣向荣、百姓忙于耕作的田家场景：“梅子金黄杏子肥，麦花雪白菜花稀。日长蓠落无人过，唯有蜻蜓蛱蝶飞。”欧阳修也曾发出“田家此乐知者谁，我独知之归不早”的慨叹。安详快活的表面却暗藏涌动的风险。因为小满一过，北方的冬小麦即将成熟，南方开始插秧，雨水在这个时候成为农事成败的关键。北方有“小满不满，麦有一险”之说，南方有“小满不满，干断田坎”之说，都是农民对雨水充裕、农事顺利的希冀。

The rapid development of modern society has seen accurate weather predictions due to advanced technology and therefore the solar term is not as important as it used to be back in the day. I clearly remember, when I was young, my family had a cornfield. During the days around Lesser Fullness, my parents were always concerned about how the weather was going to be, they would rather look at the sky at night and see if there was “a myriad of stars surrounding the moon”, my father said, “If there are no stars, it means the rain is coming.” If it didn’t rain for several days in a row, my father would be busy in watering the cornfield in order to quicken the harvest. Lesser Fullness doesn’t have as symbolic a significance as the Summer Solstice (the 10th solar term), it also doesn’t embrace boisterousness as the Grain in the Ear (the 9th solar term) either, but peasants have never ignored the symbol and the importance of Lesser Fullness. “If wheat isn’t full on Lesser Fullness, then it is dangerous”, this proverb is an inhibition which urges peasants to work hard and pay close attention to the weather changes. If we draw an analogy, the importance of Lesser Fullness to peasants is just like the importance of the last footstep for climbers. Both of them feel like they are standing upon the edge of an abyss, and they should be ultimately careful. 对于当下快速发展的现代社会来说，科技的发达让天气预报变得愈加准确，节气的意义似乎已经不那么重要。记忆中幼时我家还有麦田，每到小满附近的几天，父母都会特别注意天气预报，还要在睡前看一看夜空里有没有“众星拱月”，爸爸说，“要是天上没有星星，那可能就要下雨了。”如果不下雨，父亲就会忙着用村里的水塔抽水灌浇麦田，以保证小麦丰收，不至于让心血付之东流。小满不像夏至那般颇具标志性意义，也不似芒种时忙种忙收的热热闹闹，农民们却从来不敢忽视。“小满不满，麦有一险”，使得小满之于农人，恰似山梯最后一阶之于登山者。

Lesser Fullness is a beautiful name with an idyllic image. Complete hope and inspiration are embedded in grains, which turn ripe. The period around Lesser Fullness signifies that we need to work harder to pick proper fruits—it’s a metaphor of achievements, and it’s time to start a new journey.

小满本身就是一个充盈着诗意的名字，正如行将成熟的麦穗，既有满当当的希望，又有欲满未满、还需努力的激励。小满时节，正是努力时分，去摘取丰收的硕果，去开启新的旅程。

Eating the Herb of the Common Sow Thistle

食苦菜

小满，有食苦菜的习俗，当年江西苏区有歌谣唱：苦苦菜，花儿黄，又当野菜又当粮，红军吃了上战场，英勇杀敌打胜仗。Offering sacrifice to the Deity of Waterwheel

祭三神

小满在咱们历史上有一个习俗叫祭三车，哪三车呢，叫水车，牛车和丝车。

管这水车车神叫什么呢，传说“车神”为白龙，农家在车水前于车基上置鱼肉、香烛等祭拜之，特殊之处为祭品中有白水一杯，祭时泼入田中，有祝水源涌旺之意。以上旧俗表明了农民对水利排灌的重视。Celebrating the Birthday of the Silkworm Deity

蚕神诞辰

小满节相传为蚕神诞辰，所以在这一天，我国以养蚕称著的江浙一带也很热闹。小满节时值初夏，蚕茧结成，正待采摘缫丝，栽桑养蚕是江南农村的传统副业，家蚕全身是宝，及乡民的家食之源，人们对它充满期待的感激之情。于是这个节日便充满着浓郁的丝绸民俗风情。Harvest the Bananas

采收香蕉

小满节气为夏季的第二个节气，在这个节气民间有很多的习俗，采收香蕉就是其中之一，香蕉是我们生活中常见的水果，也是人们喜爱的水果之一，不仅如此香蕉对人还起着你意想不到的养生功效。











同济外语人：

＊长按左边二维码

关注同济外语人获取最新资讯

    关注 同济外语人