“小寒大寒，冷成冰团”，北京时间1月5日10时33分将迎来小寒节气，预示着一年中最寒冷的时段到来。不过，此时节虽然天寒地冻，却也临近“春冬正月交”，春的气息随之开始弥漫，春归有期，春山可望。

一
小寒介绍

Minor Cold is the 23rd solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms, begins this year on Jan 5 and ends on Jan 19. For most areas of China, it marks the start of the coldest days of the year.

小寒（Minor Cold）是二十四节气中的第二十三个节气，从今年的1月5日开始，至1月19日结束。对中国大部分地区来说，小寒的到来意味着一年中最冷的时段开始了。

There is an old saying in China that goes, "The days of the Sanjiu period are the coldest days." The "Sanjiu period" refers to the third nine-day period after the day of the Winter Solstice, which happens during Minor Cold. In fact, Minor Cold is normally the coldest period of winter.

古时候有"冷在三九"的说法。“三九”指冬至过后的第三个九天，而这段时间正处于小寒节气。事实上，小寒往往是冬季中最冷的时段。

According to China's meteorological records, North China is already in the coldest period of the year, as proved by the saying "Minor Cold is even colder than Major Cold". However, for most of the southern regions, the annual minimum temperature still falls during the Great Cold.

根据长期以来的气象记录，在中国北方地区小寒节气比大寒节气更冷，在北方有“小寒胜大寒”一说。但对于南方大部分地区，全球最低气温仍然会出现在大寒节气内。

For Chinese people, this time of year also sees preparation for the most important festival of the year: the Spring Festival. The last lunar month, also known as “Layue” usually begins around Minor Cold.

对于中国人来说，每年的此时也是为一年中最重要的节日——春节做准备的时候。农历的最后一个月，也被称为“腊月”，通常在小寒前后开始。

二
小寒三侯

冬至之后，冷空气频繁南下，冷气积久而寒，温度在一年的小寒、大寒之际降到最低谷。从民谚“小寒时处二三九，天寒地冻冷到抖”“小寒冷冻冻，寒到提火笼”“小寒小寒，无风也寒”，可知这“小寒”节气是硬冻出来的。

After the Winter Solstice, cold air frequently moves south. With the accumulation of the cold air, the temperature decreases accordingly. During the Minor Cold and the Major Cold, thetemperature drops to its lowest point. The folk sayings “The Minor Cold which comes between the second and third Jiu makes you shiver” “Frozen Minor Cold, so cold that you need to carry a stove” “Minor Cold is frigid, even if there is no wind”showcase that coldness is the keynote of the Minor Cold.

古人将小寒分为三候：“初候雁北乡；二候鹊始巢；三候雉始雊。”这三候完美印证了“禽鸟得气之先”的说法，时令流转中细微的变化，被天地之间游走的禽鸟敏锐感知着。小寒时节，阳气已动，大雁开始向北迁移；喜鹊体察到阳气，开始为来年修筑巢穴；雉鸟也感知阳气萌动，开始雌雄合鸣。

The ancients divided the Minor Cold into three periods: First, wild geese begin to fly back to the north. Second, magpies nest. And third, pheasants start calling. The three periods perfectly confirm the saying “Birds feel the Qi first”. The subtle changes in seasonal circulation are keenly perceived by birds wandering between the sky and the earth. During the Minor Cold, Yang begins to rise. Wild geese start to migrate north following the Yang. Magpies which feel the Yang begin to build nests. And pheasants，male and female, begin to sing with the rising Yang.

禽鸟最早得知气候变化，此时喜鹊已得来年之气，开始衔草筑巢，准备孕育后代。

3.三候·雉始鸲

During Minor Cold, pheasants would crow in search of a mate.

小寒世界，山中的野鸡也察觉到了阳气的滋长，开始鸣叫寻找同伴。

三
小寒习俗

For Chinese people, this time of year also sees preparation for the most important festival of the year: the Spring Festival. The last lunar month, also known as “Layue” usually begins around Minor Cold. Bitter cold can't prevent people from enjoying their lives. Here are some things that help us stay warm during Minor Cold.

对于中国人来说，每年的此时也是为一年中最重要的节日——春节做准备的时候。农历的最后一个月，也被称为“腊月”，通常在小寒前后开始。但寒冷的天气并不能阻止人们享受生活、为即将到来的春节做准备。

During Minor Cold, people start stocking New Year goods, which include Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, paper-cuts for window decoration, fire crackers, incense and lanterns.

进入小寒年味渐浓，人们开始忙着写春联、剪窗花，赶集买年画、彩灯、鞭炮、香火等，陆续为春节做准备。

2.吃黄芽菜

There is a custom for Tianjin citizens to eat Huangya cai, a kind of Chinese cabbage during Minor Cold. It tastes well after getting pickled which also makes up a lack of fresh vegetables in winter during that time.

小寒吃黄芽菜，是天津的一项习俗。“黄芽菜”是白菜的一个旧称，因其菜心浅黄如嫩芽，故名“黄芽菜”。为方便保存，冬季人们还会将其腌制，做成“冬菜”。

There are large amounts of Vitamins A and B in huangyacai. As huangyacai is fresh and tender, it is fit for frying, roasting and braising.

黄芽菜富含维生素A和维生素B。它非常鲜嫩，适合炒、烧、焖等做法。

3.吃糯米饭

Having a bowl of sticky rice on the morning of Minor Cold is a tradition in Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong Province. Fried preserved pork, sausage and peanuts are usually chopped and mixed in the rice to enrich flavors.

在广东省会广州，小寒早上吃一碗糯米饭是一项传统习俗。人们通常将腊肉、香肠和花生米切碎炒熟，搅拌在糯米饭中，使其风味更佳。

According to tradition, the Cantonese eat glutinous rice in the morning during Minor Cold. Cantonese people add some fried preserved pork, sausage and peanuts and mix them into the rice. According to the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine, glutinous rice has the effect of tonifying the spleen and stomach in the cold season.

按照传统，广东人在小寒期间的早上要吃糯米饭。他们会将一些煎好的腊猪肉、香肠和花生加到糯米饭中。根据中医理论，在寒冷季节糯米饭有补脾益胃的功效。

4.吃菜饭

The rice is steamed and is unspeakably delicious. Among the ingredients, aijiaohuang (a kind of green vegetable), sausage and salted duck are the specialties in Nanjing.

这种米饭是蒸熟的，有一种无法言说的美味。它的配料矮脚黄（一种绿色蔬菜）、香肠和盐水鸭都是南京特产。

According to traditional Chinese medicine theories, people need to eat food that contains more yang energy to prevent cold from harming their organs，in which mutton is the most common.

俗语说“三九补一冬，来年无病痛”。寒冬时节，居民日常饮食偏重于暖性食物，其中以羊肉最为常见。

Mutton hot pot, chestnuts and baked sweet potato are three recommended foods for Minor Cold. The yang energy in the three types of food is strengthened through their method of cooking: boiling, stir frying and baking.

涮羊肉火锅、吃糖炒栗子、烤地瓜薯成为小寒“食”尚。这三种食物的能量通过其不同的烹饪方法得到加强：煮沸、翻炒和烘烤。

7.冰嬉

In the northern provinces of China, the climate after winter is very cold, and the ice period will be very long, which usually from November to April. Between spring and winter, the river is thickly frozen, and you will use a climbing plough when walking on the ice. Most of the places with thick ice surfaces will have ice beds for pedestrians to play, and there are also ice skates racing on the ice surface, which was called ice play in ancient times.

我国北方的各省，在冬天之后天寒地坼，冰期会非常的久，动辄从11月起，直到次年4月。春冬之间，河面结冰厚实，冰上行走都会用爬犁。冰面特厚的地方，大多都会设有冰床，供行人来玩耍，也有穿冰鞋在冰面竞走的，古代的时候称为冰嬉。

中医认为寒为阴邪，最寒冷的节气也是阴邪最盛的时期，从饮食养生的角度讲，要特别注意在日常饮食中多食用一些温热食物以补益身体，防御寒冷气候对人体的侵袭。日常食物中属于热性的食物主要有鳟鱼、辣椒、肉桂、花椒等；属于温性的食物有糯米、高粱米、刀豆。

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cold is Yin evil, and the coldest solar term is also the peak period of Yin evil. From the perspective of diet regimen, we should pay special attention to eating more warm food in the daily diet to supplement the body and prevent the invasion of cold climate on the human body. Daily food belongs to hot food mainly trout, pepper, cinnamon, pepper, etc; The warm foods are glutinous rice, sorghum rice and concanavalin.

下面介绍几个适合于小寒食用的食疗方：当归20克，生姜30克，羊肉500克，黄酒、调料适量。将羊肉洗净，切为碎块，加入当归、生姜、黄酒及调料，炖煮1～2小时，食肉喝汤。有温中补血、祛寒强身的作用，适用于神疲乏力、面色苍白、畏寒肢冷等血虚及阳虚的人群。

Here are some recipes suitable for small cold food: Angelica 20 g, ginger 30 g, mutton 500 g, rice wine and seasoning. Wash the mutton, cut it into pieces, add Angelica sinensis, ginger, yellow rice wine and seasoning, stew for 1-2 hours, eat meat and drink soup. It is suitable for people with deficiency of blood and Yang, such as mental fatigue, pale complexion, chilly limbs, etc.

“小寒寒，六畜安。”对农人来说，小寒时节的主要任务是做好菜窖、畜舍保暖、造肥积肥等工作。同时要防止积雪、冻雨压断竹林和果木，冬季多大雾、大风天，海上或江湖捕鱼、养殖作业需特别注意安全。“小寒天气热，大寒冷莫说”“小寒不寒，清明泥潭”“小寒大寒寒得透，来年春天天暖和”“小寒暖，立春雪”“小寒寒，惊蛰暖”“小寒无雨，小暑必旱”……有经验的农人还以小寒的气候，来预测未来天气。

“If the temperature during the Minor Cold is low, the domestic animals will be all thriving.” For farmers, the main task during the Minor Cold is to keep vegetable cellars and barns warm, and produce and accumulate fertilizers. At the same time, it is necessary to prevent snow and freezing rain from crushing bamboos and fruit trees. In winter, the weather is always foggy and windy. So special attention should be paid to safety in fishing and aquaculture operations at sea or in rivers and lakes. “If the Minor Cold is warm, it will be particularly cold during the Major Cold” “Not being cold during the Minor Cold means frequent rain during the Pure Brightness” “Frozen weather during the Minor Cold and the Major Cold portends a warm spring in the following year” “Warm in the Minor Cold, snowy in the Beginning of Spring” “If the Minor Cold is frigid, the Awakening of Insects will be warm” “The Minor Cold without precipitation forebodes the drought during the Minor Heat”......Experienced farmers also predict future weather based on the weather during the Minor Cold.

我们知道，小寒过后到大寒是全年最冷的时段，因此起居上就要注意保暖。外出时，一定要穿好防寒保暖的衣服，风大的时候，体质较弱的人还应戴上帽子和口罩。每天要早睡晚起，尽量不熬夜，最好在晚上9-11点上床入睡。

We know that the coldest time of the year is from the little cold to the big cold, so we should pay attention to keeping warm in our daily life. When you go out, you must wear warm clothes. When the wind is strong, people with weak constitution should also wear hats and masks. Go to bed early and get up late every day. Try not to stay up late. It's better to go to bed at 9-11 PM.

小寒是一年中倒数第二个节气，是春天来临的前奏，鸟儿最懂春天。

As the second-to-last solar term of the year, the Minor Cold is a prelude to the coming spring, and birds know best.

小寒过后，中国人开始写春联，去市场买年画和彩灯，为春节做准备。

After the Minor Cold, Chinese people begin to write Spring Festival couplets, and go to the market to buy New Year paintings and colored lights to prepare for the Spring Festival.

1.The Xiaohan chill comes carried on the wind, readying itself to bring the fragrance of spring to the world.

小寒料峭，一番春意换年芳。

2.Tomorrow is at the window, but the mume tree has yet to bloom.

来日绮窗前，寒梅著花未。

3.One who has never tasted bitter, does not know sweet.

不经一番寒彻骨，怎得梅花扑鼻香？

4.t's very cold, but it's cold when there's no wind.

大寒小寒，无风自寒。

5.中文诗歌

Plum Blossoms (by Wang Anshi)

6.英文诗歌

（1）Frozen Dream

冰冻的梦