Introduction: Xiaoman is one of the twenty-four solar terms. Before Xiaoman is Beginning of Summer, and after Xiaoman is Mang Zhong, both are summer solar terms. After the arrival of Xiaoman, high temperature weather above 35°C began to occur in the south of the Yellow River to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and rainfall in various places also gradually increased. So, do you know what the solar term Xiaoman means? What is the meaning of Xiaoman? Next, let’s learn about the meaning and implication of the Xiaoman solar term.
What does the solar term Xiaoman mean?
Xiaoman (grain buds) is one of the twenty-four solar terms, the second solar term in summer. Xiaoman - its meaning is that the grains of summer-ripened crops have begun to fill and become full, but they are not yet mature. They are only slightly full, not yet full. Every year between May 20th and 22nd, when the sun reaches 60° of ecliptic longitude, it is regarded as Xiaoman.
"Collection of the Seventy-Two Hours of the Monthly Order": "In mid-April, when a little is full, things will be full." At this time, the grains of wheat and other summer crops in northern areas of the country have begun to grow. It is plump but not yet mature, about the late stage of breast-ripening, so it is called Xiaoman.
Farmer proverbs in the southern region give Xiaoman a new meaning: "If Xiaoman is dissatisfied, he will cut off the fields"; "If Xiaoman is dissatisfied, he will leave the awns alone." "Man" is used to describe the abundance and lack of rainwater, pointing out that if the field is not full of water when it is full, it may cause the field ridges to dry out, and even rice cannot be planted during the awning season.
my country has a large geographical span between the north and the south, and the climate, agricultural production, main crop varieties and growth conditions of each place are obviously different. Zuohe Shui's poem "The fertile fields in the south of the Yangtze River are transplanted, and the wheat bran in the north of the Yangtze River is filled." By the West Lake People are hospitable, and tea merchants go to silk merchants." This sentence tells the production and growth conditions of rice and wheat on both sides of the river during the Xiaoman season, including the commercial activities in famous tea and silk producing areas.
What does Xiaoman mean?
There are two meanings of "Man" in Xiaoman:
1. To describe the fullness of the farmer's crops The grains of summer-ripening crops such as wheat in northern areas of the country have begun to be full, but they are not yet mature, which is about the late stage of milk-ripening, so they are called Xiaoman.
2. To describe the abundance and shortage of rainwater. "Man" is used to describe the abundance and lack of rainwater, pointing out that if the field is not full of water when it is full, it may cause the field ridges to dry out, and even rice cannot be planted during the awning season. Farmer proverbs in the southern region give Xiaoman a new meaning: "If Xiaoman is dissatisfied, the stems will cut off the field"; "If Xiaoman is dissatisfied, the awns will be ignored."
The Legend of Xiaoman in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms
Once upon a time there was a family with only two people, a father and a daughter. My daughter is not only beautiful, but also very smart. On this day, the father had to go to a distant place for something, leaving behind his daughter and a white horse. This horse is very strong and can run thousands of miles a day, as fast as the wind. What's even more strange is that this horse is very knowledgeable about human nature and understands human words. Everyone said this was a "magic horse".
When the father went out, he told his daughter to feed and take good care of the horse, and he would be back soon. After the father left, the horse and his daughter were the only companions left in the family. Whenever she felt lonely, she would talk to the horse. Although the horse cannot speak, it can nod and flick its tail to show affection. The days passed, but my father never came back. The daughter misses her father very much and is even more worried about something unexpected happening to her father outside.
One day, she said to Maer half seriously and half jokingly: "Maer, do you understand what I say? If you can go and find my father, I will marry you and be your wife." Unexpectedly, as soon as the girl finished speaking, the horse ran away and disappeared. It turned out that my father was sick in a distant place, and he was worried about how to get back. When he suddenly found his horse running towards him, he was very surprised. The father missed his daughter so much that he didn't think much about it, so he got on his horse and rode home.
After arriving home, the father and daughter reunited after a long absence, so they were naturally very happy. My father felt that this horse had made a great contribution, so he added extra grass and feed to it and fed it carefully. But what surprised my father was that even though he fed a lot of refined grass and fine ingredients, the horse refused to eat even one bite. Whenever he sees his daughter coming or going, the horse will not only roar, but also jump and make sounds of joy or anger. The father secretly asked his daughter what was going on.
So the daughter told her father what she had said to the horse.
After hearing this, the father felt very uneasy. After pondering for a while, he whispered to his daughter: "Remember, this matter must not be made public. If anyone knows that I married my daughter to a man, Horse, what are you talking about? Don't leave the house for a while, and don't go to the horse." The next day, my father loaded a crossbow around the stable and shot the horse to death when it was not prepared. . Then, he peeled off the horse's skin and hung it on a big stone in the yard to dry.
One day, my daughter was playing in the yard with her neighbor’s girlfriend. She saw the horsehide drying on the stone and felt very uneasy. She reached out and stroked the mane on the horsehide. At this time, an accident happened. The horsehide suddenly lifted up and swept her away like a gust of wind. The female companions nearby were frightened and rushed to tell her father. When the father arrived, his daughter and the horsehide dried on the stone had already disappeared without a trace.
It turned out that the divine horse skin swept away the lovely girl and flew straight to the southwest. In the far southwest, there is a place called Big Heel, which is an inaccessible wilderness with mulberry trees all over the mountains and plains. But after arriving there, the girl in horse skin lost her original shape and turned into a silkworm with a horse head shape, climbing on the tree. She eats nothing but mulberry leaves. Later, she became the owner of this mulberry forest, and the Emperor of Heaven made her the Silkworm God.
Faced with this encounter, the girl had unspeakable pain. She missed her hometown, her father and her female companion day and night. At this time, she would continue to spit out long threads from her mouth, expressing her endless thoughts. Every spring, you can see a beautiful young woman kneeling on a mulberry branch, spitting out white and bright filaments. People affectionately call her Silkworm Goddess.
Legend has it that the Silkworm Goddess was born on the day of "Xiaoman", so during this solar term, people have the custom of offering sacrifices to silkworms.