What is the Awakening of Insects?
壹
什么是惊蛰
Awakening of Insects, anciently known as "Qizhe," is the third solar term in the twenty-four solar terms. It occurs between March 5 and March 6 in the Gregorian calendar.
惊蛰，古称"启蛰"，是二十四节气中的第三个节气，时间点在公历3月5日-3月6日之间。
Explanation of the Solar Term
贰
节气释义
The term "zhé" means "to hibernate", referring to insects hibernating in the soil during winter. "Jīng" means "to wake up". Thus, Awakening of Insects is the day when the spring thunder in the sky wakes up the hibernating insects, marking the revival of all living things and the beginning of mid-spring.
“蛰”，指“藏伏”，昆虫入冬藏伏土中；“惊”指“惊醒”，而"惊蛰"即天上的春雷惊醒蛰居动物的日子，标志着万物复苏和仲春时节的开始。
Traditional Customs
叁
传统习俗
Covering the Drum with Leather
蒙鼓皮
The thunder at the Awakening of Insects comes from the Thunder God striking the celestial drum and ancient people worshiped the Thunder God for this reason.On the day of the Awakening of Insects, the Thunder God in the heaven strikes the celestial drum. People then cover the drum with leather to follow the natural order of the seasons.
惊蛰雷声由雷神敲响天鼓而来，古人因此祭祀雷神。惊蛰这天，天庭雷神击响天鼓，人间便趁此时蒙鼓皮，顺应天时。
Villain Hitting
“打小人”
The thunder of the Awakening of Insects awakens snakes, insects mice and ants. Ancient people used fragrant substances and wormwood to smoke the rooms to repel insects and remove dampness. Later, it gradually evolved into Villain Hitting, which was used to drive away bad luck and relieve misfortune.
惊蛰雷声唤醒蛇虫鼠蚁，古人用清香、艾草熏屋驱虫除霉。后逐渐演变为“打小人”，以此驱赶霉运、排解不顺。
Sacrifice to the White Tiger
祭白虎
In Guangdong, there is a custom of worshiping the White Tiger during the Awakening of Insects. According to legend, the White Tiger is good with disputes and conflicts. On this day, it comes out to harm people. People worship the paper-painted White Tiger, feed it with pig blood, and smear its mouth with pig fat, so that it will no longer cause disputes and resolve conflicts over words.
广东民间惊蛰有祭白虎习俗。传说白虎主口舌是非，此日会出来伤人。人们祭拜纸绘白虎，用猪血喂之、生猪油抹嘴，使其不再搬弄是非、化解口舌争端。
Eating pears
吃梨
In people's minds, eating pears during the Awakening of Insects symbolizes separating from pests and avoiding diseases. Eating pears can benefit the spleen, calm the five internal organs, and enhance one's physical condition to resist the invasion of germs.
在人们的观念中，惊蛰吃梨，寓意着和害虫分离，远离疾病。吃梨能助益脾气，令五脏平和，以增强体质，抵御病菌的侵袭。
The Three Pentads of
Awakening of Insects
惊蛰三候
The ancient Chinese divided the fifteen days of the Awakening of Insects into three pentads. In the first pentad,peach blossoms began to bloom. In the second pentad, orioles (yellow birds) began to sing. In the third pentad, hawks transformed into doves.It is already the season of mid-spring, with peach blossoms turning red, pear blossoms turning white, orioles chirping, and swallows flying back.
我国古人将惊蛰时节的十五天分为三候，一候桃始华；二候仓庚（黄鹂）鸣；三候鹰化为鸠。描述已是进入仲春，桃花红、梨花白，黄莺鸣叫、燕飞来的时节。
According to the general climate pattern, during the period around the Awakening of Insects, the weather in various parts of China has begun to warm up and there is an increasing amount of rainfall. Most areas have entered the spring farming and planting season.
按照一般气候规律，惊蛰前后我国各地天气已开始转暖，雨水渐多，大部分地区都已进入了春耕春种时节。
When the Awakening of Insects comes, the new term begins. Accompanied by the spring thunder, students should also cheer up and study hard.
到了惊蛰时节，新的学期也就开始了。伴随着惊蛰的雷声，学生们也要振作精神，好好学习！
Vocabulary
肆
生词表
Gregorian calendar /ɡrɪˌɡɔːriən ˈkælɪndə(r)/ n.公历，阳历
hibernate /ˈhaɪbəneɪt/ vi.冬眠；蛰伏
revival /rɪˈvaɪv(ə)l/ n. 复兴，复苏；再流行；
mid-spring /mɪd sprɪŋ/ n.仲春
celestial /səˈlestiəl/ adj. 天空的，天上的
villain /'vɪlən/ n. 坏人，恶棍；戏剧、小说中的反派角色(此处指小人）
evolved into /iˈvɒlvd ˈɪntə/ vt. 发展成，演变成
dispute /dɪˈspjuːt/ vt. 争论，辩论；怀疑 / n.争端；纠纷；争论；辩论
smear /smɪə/ vt. 涂上；诽谤；弄脏；把…擦模糊 / n. 涂片；诽谤；污点
spleen /spliːn/ n. 脾脏；坏脾气；怒气
accompanied by /əˈkʌmpənid baɪ/ vt.伴随，由……陪同
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- 关键词：Awakening,insects,Insects,Drum,Tiger,Spring,白虎,节气,wakes,Eating
