别样小寒、乐暖冬日|A Different Kind of Little Cold, Happy Warm Winter

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小寒，二十四节气中的第二十三个节气，意思是寒气还没有达到最盛。不过近些年的气象资料显示，多数年份小寒时的气温都低于大寒时的气温，人们认为最冷的“三九天”也在小寒，因此还有“小寒胜大寒”的说法。小寒时节，无论是北方的干冷，还是南方的湿冷，都让人难以忍受。

Xiaohan, the twenty-third of the twenty-four solar terms, means that the cold has not yet reached its peak. However, the meteorological data of recent years show that in most years, the temperature during the little cold session is lower than the temperature during the very cold session, and people believe that the coldest “39 days” are also in the little cold session, so there is a saying that “the very cold session is better than the little cold session”. In the cold season, whether it is dry and cold in the north or wet and cold in the south, it is unbearable.

“一候雁北乡【xiàng】；二候鹊始巢；三候雉始雊【gòu】。 ”古人认为候鸟中大雁是顺阴阳而迁移，此时阳气已动，所以大雁开始向北迁移；此时北方到处可见到喜鹊，并且感觉到阳气而开始筑巢；“雉鸲”的“鸲”为鸣叫的意思，雉在接近四九时会感阳气的生长而鸣叫。

” A wait for Yanbei Township [xiàng]; The second magpie begins to nest; Three pheasants start to grow [gòu]. “The ancients believed that the geese in the migratory birds migrated along the yin and yang, and at this time the yang energy had moved, so the geese began to migrate northward; At this time, magpies can be seen everywhere in the north, and they feel the yang energy and begin to build nests; The “robin” of “pheasant” means to chirp, and the pheasant will feel the growth of yang energy and chirp when it is close to forty-nine.

雁北乡|Yanbei Township：

《吕氏春秋·季冬纪》高诱注中说：“雁在彭蠡（lǐ）之泽，是月皆北乡，将来至北漠也。冬候鸟中的大雁，顺着阴阳而迁徙。这时阳气已动，所以大雁从南方的洞庭湖向北方迁移，有的飞到北方的沙漠中，有的飞到青海湖鸟岛，有的飞到俄罗斯贝加尔湖一带，繁育幼雏。

In the high lure note of “Lü’s Spring and Autumn ? Season and Winter Chronicles”, it says: “The wild goose is in the Ze of Peng Li (lǐ), which is the northern township of the moon, and will also go to the northern desert in the future.” The geese among the winter migratory birds migrate along the yin and yang. At this time, the yang energy has moved, so the geese migrate from Dongting Lake in the south to the north, some fly to the desert in the north, some fly to the Bird Island of Qinghai Lake, and some fly to the Baikal area of Russia to breed young.

鹊始巢|Magpie’s Nest：

意思是说，喜鹊开始筑巢。喜鹊经常把巢穴筑在居民区附近的大树顶端。它们对筑巢很讲究，筑巢时间很长，为了赶在来年3月份繁殖期前结束这项工程，雄喜鹊和雌喜鹊一起，在小寒时就开始衔来树枝、泥土、绒毛等材料搭建巢穴。由于喜鹊的巢穴豪华醒目，一些善营巢的鸟就霸占喜鹊的巢穴。“鸠占鹊巢”这个成语说的就是红脚隼侵占喜鹊的巢穴。

Meaning, the magpie began to build its nest. Magpies often build their nests on the top of large trees near residential areas. In order to finish the project before the breeding season in March of the following year, male magpies and female magpies begin to build nests with branches, soil, fluff and other materials when it is cold. Because of the magpie’s nest is luxurious and eye-catching, some birds that are good at nesting occupy the magpie’s nest. The idiom “doves occupy magpies’ nests” refers to the red-footed falcon encroaching on the magpie’s nest.

雉始雊|Pheasant Beginning：

小寒的第三个物候叫作“雉始雊”，指的是雉鸟开始鸣叫。雉，指野鸡。野鸡是十分耐寒的动物，它们在零下35摄氏度时仍然在冰天雪地活动，这时候，雄性野鸡拖着长长的尾羽，在朝阳升起时挥舞着双翼，发表爱情的宣言。

Xiaohan’s third phenology is called “Pheasant Shiyu”, which refers to the pheasant bird starting to chirp. Pheasants are hard animals, they are still active in the snow and ice at minus 35 degrees Celsius, and at this time, the male pheasant drags his long tail feathers and waves his wings when the morning sun rises, making a declaration of love.

山茶花开|Camellia blooms：

“雪深红欲燃”的山茶通常在冬至末开始盛放，一直开到次年暮春。一朵朵硕大、猩红的山茶花镶嵌在山茶树那茂密的绿叶间，犹如艳丽夺目的锦缎。

Camellia sinensis usually begins to bloom at the end of the winter solstice and blooms until late spring of the following year. Large, scarlet camellia flowers are embedded in the dense green leaves of the camellia tree, like a dazzling brocade.

窗上结霜花|Frost flowers on the window：

北方极度寒冷的冬天，清晨玻璃窗上会结一层厚厚的霜花。那是大自然用神奇的双手绘制而成的精美图案，但这美丽很短暂，过不了多久，暖暖的阳光就使这图案融化了。窗上为什么会结霜花呢?室外的温度比室内的温度低很多，玻璃窗上的温度也就比室温低，这时室温度较高的水蒸气遇到温度较低的窗户，就会在玻璃窗上凝华，形成霜花。

In the extremely cold winter in the north, a thick layer of frost will form on the glass windows in the early morning. It was a beautiful pattern drawn by nature’s magical hands, but it was short-lived, and it didn’t take long for the warm sunlight to melt the pattern. Why do frost flowers form on the windows? The outdoor temperature is much lower than the indoor temperature, and the temperature on the glass window is also lower than the room temperature.

Customs and farming

Xiaohan poems