During ‘Bailu,’ or White Dew of Chinese solar term, fruitful cool autumn begins
As the White Dew solar term approaches, pomegranate trees bear fruit at Chuxiu Garden in Huai'an, East China's Jiangsu Province, on September 4, 2024.
"Bailu," or White Dew, the 15th of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar, falls on September 7 this year.
Ancient Chinese usually described the seasons with the five elements. According to the Chinese calendar, Bailu takes place in autumn, which is golden. In the Chinese color system, a golden color is close to white, the color associated with the element of metal, so their conclusion was that this is the time of year when yin energy grows heavier, leading to white dew to condense on the ground, according to the Collective Interpretation of the Seventy-two Phenological Terms, compiled by Yuan Dynasty scholar Wu Cheng.
After Bailu, the temperature declines gradually and the moisture in the air often condenses into white dew on the grass and trees at night.
Ancient Chinese divided the Bailu period into three pentads. The first pentad starts when the swans and wild geese start to fly south. The second sees the southward migration of birds such as swallows to the south for the winter. The third pentad starts when birds begin to stock up on food for the winter.
During the Bailu period, the human body often experiences dryness, so it is best to consume nutritious and easily digestible food to stay fit.
This is also the solar term for the harvest as it is the time when the northeast region in China begins to harvest millet, sorghum and soybeans. Farmers are also busy planting wheat. In northern China, the autumn harvest has begun, and preparations for sowing wheat are being carried out as early as possible. Meanwhile, Northwest China is starting to plant winter wheat and Southwest China is harvesting rice and millet. In Central China, farmers are harvesting rice and summer corn and collecting cotton. They also need to level the land in preparation for sowing wheat.
During this season, people start to enjoy White Dew Tea, which has survived the hot summer and is now at the best stage of its growth. Different from tea collected at any other time of the year, White Dew Tea has a sweet refreshing taste and aroma. If you take a closer look at the tea leaves, you might see that they look like they've just been touched by the morning dew. Usually, by the end of summer, the stock of fresh spring tea is running out, so White Dew Tea comes just in time to hit the market.
In addition to tea, this solar term also offers White Dew Wine. People in the south prepare a homemade sweet wine from cereals like polished glutinous rice and sorghum during this season.
In planting areas for hickory in Lin'an, in the western part of East China's Zhejiang Province, Bailu marks the start of harvest season for hickory nuts. Before harvest, farmers will put fine nets under each hickory tree. On this day, before dawn, people with bamboo poles and bamboo baskets on their backs head up into the mountains and forests filled with morning mist. By sunset, these people return with heavy baskets containing hickory nuts. Starting from Bailu, the harvest for hickory nuts can take about half a month.
Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Chinese people have been enjoying crickets fighting as part of the autumn fun. The hobby got even more popular through the Ming and Qing dynasties. The fun could last until after the Chongyang Festival, or the ninth day of the ninth Chinese lunar month.
During the season of White Dew, Chinese have the folk custom of collecting clear dew. The dew collected in the morning during this season can be used to clean one's eyes and make tea and wine. Ancient Chinese believed that dew could be nourishing as it contained different characteristics from various plants. For instance, the dew from flowers could be good for skin care, dew from herbs could quench one's thirst and cypress leaf dew can brighten the eyes.
白露，或称白露，是中国传统历法中24个节气中的第15个，今年9月7日。
中国古代人通常用五行来描述季节。根据中国历法，白露发生在秋天，这是金色的。在中国的色彩体系中，金色接近白色，这种颜色与金属元素有关，因此他们的结论是，根据元代学者吴诚编纂的《七十二物候词集体释义》，这是一年中阴气变重的时候，导致白露凝结在地上。
白露之后，气温逐渐下降，空气中的水分经常在晚上凝结成草和树上的白露。 中国古代将白露时期划分为三候。当天鹅和大雁开始向南飞行时，第一候开始了。第二侯是燕子等鸟类向南迁徙过冬。当鸟类开始为冬天储备食物时，第三候开始了。
在白露时期，人体经常会感到干燥，所以最好吃营养丰富、易于消化的食物来保持健康。
这也是收获的节气，因为这是中国东北地区开始收获小米、高粱和大豆的时候。农民们也在忙着种植小麦。在中国北方，秋收已经开始，播种小麦的准备工作正在尽早进行。与此同时，中国西北地区开始种植冬小麦，中国西南地区正在收割水稻和小米。在华中地区，农民们正在收割水稻和夏玉米，并收集棉花。他们还需要平整土地，为播种小麦做准备。
在这个季节，人们开始享受白露茶，它经历了炎热的夏天，现在正处于生长的最佳阶段。与一年中任何其他时间采集的茶不同，白露茶具有甜美清爽的味道和香气。如果你仔细看看这些茶叶，你可能会发现它们看起来就像刚刚被晨露碰过一样。通常，到夏末，新鲜春茶的库存就要用完了，所以白露茶正好上市。
除了茶，这个节气还提供白露葡萄酒。在这个季节，南方人用糯米和高粱等谷物自制甜酒。
在中国东部浙江省西部临安的山核桃种植区，白鹿标志着山核桃收获季节的开始。收获前，农民们会在每棵山核桃树下撒上细网。在这一天，黎明前，人们背着竹竿和竹篮，走进晨雾弥漫的山林。日落时分，这些人带着装满山核桃的沉重篮子回来了。从白露开始，山核桃的收获大约需要半个月的时间。
自宋朝（960-1279）以来，中国人一直在享受斗蟋蟀作为秋季乐趣的一部分。这种爱好在明清两代变得更加流行。这种乐趣可能会持续到重阳节之后，也就是农历九月初九。
在白露季节，中国人有采集清露的民俗。这个季节早上收集的露水可以用来清洁眼睛，泡茶和酿酒。中国古代人认为露水具有滋养作用，因为它含有各种植物的不同特征。例如，花朵的露水对皮肤有好处，草药的露水可以解渴，柏树叶露可以明目。
【语法填空改编】
"Bailu," or White Dew, the 15th of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar, falls on September 7 this year. After Bailu, the temperature declines gradually 1._________ the moisture in the air often condenses into white dew on the grass and trees at night.
During the Bailu period, the human body often experiences 2._______(dry), so it is best to consume nutritious and easily digestible food to stay fit. This is also the solar term for the harvest as it is the time 3.________ the northeast region in China begins to harvest millet, sorghum and soybeans. Farmers are also busy planting wheat. In northern China, the autumn harvest has begun, and preparations for sowing wheat are being carried out as early as possible. During this season, people start to enjoy White Dew Tea, which 4.________(survive) the hot summer and is now at the best stage of its growth. Different from tea 5.________(collect) at any other time of the year, White Dew Tea has a sweet refreshing taste and aroma. If you take a closer look at the tea leaves, you might see that they look like they've just been touched 6.______ the morning dew. Usually, by the end of summer, the stock of fresh spring tea is running out, so White Dew Tea comes just in time 7.__________(hit) the market.
In addition to tea, this solar term also offers White Dew Wine. People in the south prepare 8._______ homemade sweet wine from cereals like polished glutinous rice and sorghum during this season.During the season of White Dew, Chinese have the folk custom of collecting clear dew. The dew collected in the morning during this season can 9.________(use) to clean one's eyes and make tea and wine. Ancient Chinese believed that dew could be nourishing as 10._______ contained different characteristics from various plants. For instance, the dew from flowers could be good for skin care, dew from herbs could quench one's thirst and cypress leaf dew can brighten the eyes.
【参考答案】
1.and 2.dryness 3.when 4.has survived 5.collected 6.by 7.to hit 8.a 9.be used 10.it
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