Counting nine on Ren during the winter solstice means that counting of nine days does not start directly after the winter solstice, but starts counting nine when the first lunar day of Ren is encountered after the winter solstice.

"Ren Ri" is the method of recording time with the heavenly stems and earthly branches in ancient my country. The stem and branch calendar is the same as the stem and branch calendar. Sixty years of matching stems and branches are used to record the sequence of days. Ten of the heavenly stems are A, B, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren and Gui, the twelve earthly branches are Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai.

A popular saying among the people is the jingle "On the summer solstice, count the number of crouching in three Geng, and in the winter solstice, count the number of nine." This is the calculation of "crouching" and "counting nine" passed down by the ancients. method.

The literal meaning is that the third "Geng Day" after the summer solstice solar term begins to enter the ambush. After the winter solstice, the counting of nine begins on the first "Ren day".

The meaning and symbol of the winter solstice

The meaning of the winter solstice is that cold is coming: The winter solstice is the earliest formulated one of the twenty-four solar terms, originating from the Spring and Autumn Period. On the winter solstice, the sun reaches the southernmost point of the year when it shines directly on the ground. The northern hemisphere receives 50% less sunlight than the southern hemisphere, and the daytime in the northern hemisphere is the shortest.

The Winter Solstice is regarded as a major festival in winter. There is a folk saying that "the Winter Solstice is as big as the New Year", so the ancients called the Winter Solstice "sub-year" or "small year". During the winter solstice, most people in the north have the custom of eating dumplings, while most people in the south have the custom of eating sweets.

The winter solstice symbolizes reunion: The winter solstice was considered a very important day in ancient times. People even called it a small year. Every year when celebrating the winter solstice, we have to make a lot of preparations. There are even many folk celebrations. So the winter solstice often symbolizes reunion.

In addition, among the twenty-four solar terms, the winter solstice is also an important solar term. When it arrives, it means that the days outside will become longer and longer and the nights will become darker in the future. The shorter it is, the temperature will gradually drop, and it will gradually enter the harsh winter.