Suddenly a warm breeze arrives, followed by a slight summer heat. July 7 ushered in the Xiaoshu solar term. Xiaoshu is the 11th solar term among the twenty-four solar terms and the fifth solar term in summer. "Shu" means hot. Xiaoshu means "little heat". It is not very hot at thi

The warm wind suddenly arrives, followed by the slight summer heat. July 7 ushered in the Xiaoshu solar term. Xiaoshu is the 11th solar term among the twenty-four solar terms and the fifth solar term in summer.

Shu means hot. Xiaoshu means mild heat. It is not very hot at this time, but the great heat that appears immediately after it means great heat, that is, the heat has reached its extreme. Xiaoshu is called Xiaoshu because the ancients believed that "the summer heat has not reached its peak yet" and the heat has not yet reached its peak.

But in fact, minor heat and major heat are the hottest times of the year. Folks often pay equal attention to the "two heats". There are sayings such as "slight heat follows major heat, and there is nowhere to hide" and "slight heat and major heat, steaming at the top and boiling at the bottom" statement.

As the saying goes, "It's hot in the dog days of summer". Soon after the Xiaoshu solar term, it will begin to enter the dog days of . The temperature during this period is the highest of the year, and because of the heavy rainfall, the air is humid and muggy.

In terms of climate average, July is the month with the highest temperatures in most areas of the country. "Hot" words such as minor heat, three volts , and major heat are thrown around one after another in July. During the Slight Summer Season, there are often heat waves and it is rare to get a breath of refreshing wind. Although the sun is strong, hot, humid and rainy during the Slight Heat period, for crops, the same period of rain and heat is conducive to the growth of crops.

"Which one is hotter, Minor Heat or Great Heat?" In fact, Great Heat and Minor Heat are often "neither bigger nor smaller" between them. In some years, "the minor summer heat is not too hot, but the major summer heat is in the dog days." In some years, "the minor summer heat is extremely hot, while the major summer vacation is cool." In other years, "the minor summer heat is not too hot, but the major summer heat is the dog days." In other years, it is "the minor summer heat is followed by the major summer heat, and I am too lazy to cook rice." 29% of the country's extreme highest temperature records were set during the minor summer period, and 26% during the major summer period. It can be said that major summer and minor summer heat have their own merits. During the major summer period, it is easier to stage a high-temperature "serial", which is better in protracted battles, while in minor summer heat, it is explosive. Win on all fronts.

From 1981 to 2010, the national average temperature during the Minor Heat period was 24.9°C, and the Great Heat was 25.1°C. In terms of temperature, the Great Heat was slightly better, but the situation in different places was different. For example, in Beijing during the Minor Summer Period (July 7 to 21), the average maximum temperature is 31.4°C, and during the Great Summer Period (July 22 to August 6), the average maximum temperature is 31.2°C. It can be seen that in Beijing, the number of mild summer days is slightly greater than that of severe summer heat. If compared with the number of high temperature days, it is also slightly more during the mild summer period. Generally speaking, the intensity of heat between minor heat and great heat is only within a few millimeters. The so-called major summer heat is very big, while minor summer heat is not small.

The sunshine hours in the northern hemisphere are gradually shortening during the Slight Summer Season, but why are the temperatures in most parts of our country still rising? This is because although the sun's direct point is moving south, it still shines directly on the northern hemisphere. The heat in the northern hemisphere is still greater than the heat output, so the temperature will continue to rise during this period of time. The average temperature during Xiaoshu in southern China is around 26°C.

Slight summer heat begins to enter the dog days, and the air humidity increases after entering the dog days. The reason for the high humidity in the dog days is that the southeast wind blows in the dog days, and the southeast is the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean . The air is moist, and the humidity of the sea breeze causes three Humidity is high in dog days. "High temperature and high humidity" in the dog days of summer are the climate characteristics of the southern region of my country, while "high temperature and dryness" are the characteristics of the northern region. In short, the climate characteristics of Xiaoshu solar term are hot weather and more thunderstorms.

There are three periods of Xiaoshu: the first period is when the warm wind arrives; the second period is when crickets take over the sky; the third period is when eagles begin to flock to the sky. During the Xiaoshu season, there is no longer a cool breeze on the earth, but all the winds carry heat waves; "The Book of Songs: July" describes crickets as follows: "July is in the wild, August is in the house, September is at home, and ten is The moon crickets came under my bed. "The eighth month mentioned in the article is the sixth month of the lunar calendar, which is the period of Xiaoshu. Due to the heat, the crickets left the fields and went to the corners of the courtyard to escape the heat; during this period, the eagles Because the ground temperature is too high, they move in the cool high altitude.

There are folk customs such as "eating new food", "eating dumplings" and "eating fried noodles" during Xiaoshu.

"Eating new food": In the past, people in southern my country had the custom of "eating new food" during Xiaoshu, which was to grind freshly beaten rice, wheat, etc. into flour and make various pancakes and noodles. Neighbors and folks shared and ate them to express their appreciation. In order to pray for a good harvest, these new products should also be prepared to offer sacrifices to the ancestors, asking for good weather and good weather.

Eating dumplings: In northern my country, there is a saying that "the first one is dumplings, the second is noodles, and the third is pancakes and eggs." It is a traditional custom to eat dumplings on the first day of the summer. People lose their appetite on the first day and tend to be thinner than usual. This is called the bitter summer. In traditional customs, dumplings are an appetizing food. Dumplings have long been a favorite food of people in vast areas of the north. As the saying goes: "Dumplings are not as delicious as dumplings."

(Original title: Today's Slight Heat! The warm breeze is coming, the Slight Heat is coming, and the long summer is here)

Source: Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Luo Qianwen, American Editor, Guan Yin

Process Editor: u099