"The scorching sun is approaching the summer, and the summer is coming overnight." On June 21, we ushered in the tenth of the 24 solar terms - the summer solstice. At this time, the tender lotus is in full bloom, all things are luxuriant, accompanied by the blazing sun, in the frog song and cicada singing, midsummer officially kicked off.
The days are already cloudy, and the midsummer is long
The summer solstice is the fourth solar term of summer and one of the first of the 24 solar terms to be determined. On June 21 or 22 every year, when the sun moves to 90 degrees of yellow longitude, it is the summer solstice solar term.
The ancients said: "The sun is in the north, the day is long, and the shadow is short, so it is called the summer solstice." "On the day of the summer solstice, the position of the sun directly hitting the ground reaches the northernmost point of the year, almost directly hitting the Tropic of Capricorn, and the daylight hours in various parts of the northern hemisphere reach the longest of the year.
The northernmost and longest, the word "most", expresses the characteristics of the summer solstice. After the summer solstice, the position of the sun directly hitting the ground gradually shifted southward, and the days in the northern hemisphere became shorter and the nights became longer.
"Seventy-two Candidate Explanations of the Lunar Order" says: "Summer, false, to, extreme, all things are false in this and extremely large." "Xia" has the meaning of growing up, and "to", for the development of things to the extreme, which is equivalent to "the most". The ancients believed that all things grew and flourished to the extreme, and the yang energy reached the extreme, but the prosperity must decline, and the yin energy began to grow.
There are three phases of the summer solstice: one is the antlers; The second is the beginning of the song; Three and a half summers. The ancients believed that on the summer solstice, yin qi was born and yang qi began to decline, so the masculine antlers began to fall off; After the summer solstice, the cicadas on the trees begin to chirp their wings; Banxia is a shade-loving herb that grows in swamps or paddy fields. Entering the hot summer, some yin-loving creatures begin to appear, while the masculine creatures begin to decline.
"But the summer solstice is not hot", the summer solstice is the starting point of midsummer, and fiery is the main theme of midsummer. The bright sunlight shone on the hot earth, and in a short time it rolled up a heat wave. On the summer solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere has the longest days and the surface gets the most heat from the sun, why isn't it the hottest time of the year?
The ancients' interpretation of this is very vivid: "For example, when the fire enters the room, it is not very warm, and the salary of the Buddha is raised, and it becomes more and more hot over time. "During the summer solstice, the heat radiated by the sun to the ground continues to accumulate, and after a period of time, although the heat gain gradually decreases, it is still greater than the heat loss, so the weather will continue to heat up until the heat budget reaches a balance and the temperature reaches its peak. Folks say "summer solstice three Geng number of heads", from the summer solstice to count backwards, count to the third "Geng day" into the ambush, is the so-called "hot in the three dogs", the peak period of summer hot weather is about mid-July to mid-August.
"Ancient books recorded: 'The one who is subdued, it is said that the yin qi will rise, and it is forced to rise due to the remnant sun and has not been raised, so it is hidden in ambush, because of the name of the sun.'" Liu Lu, chief physician of the acupuncture and moxibustion diagnosis and treatment center of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated to Capital Medical University, introduced that the so-called volt does not mean that people are hot and lazy lying on their stomachs, but refers to the latent yin qi, the summer solstice is the most vigorous period of the year, and it is also the season when the yin qi begins to sprout.
Give fans to eat noodles to cool off the heat and nourish the yin
After the summer solstice, the dog days are not far off, and the temperature will continue to rise for some time to come, with the hottest time of the year just around the corner. The scorching heat at this time is a torment and a gift, just as the agricultural proverb says: "The summer solstice is not hot, the grains do not bear", if you want to harvest the golden autumn of rice with fat, you have to experience the hot summer when the fire umbrella is high.
"In the hot summer, many people like to blow on the air conditioner when they are sweating profusely, but they don't know that this hurts the yang the most." Liu Lu said that the summer solstice yang is extremely prosperous, and the yang energy of the human body has also entered the peak stage, and the yang energy is outward, and the yin is included, and it is necessary to pay attention to the yang and pay attention to the yin, and it is not advisable to blow the air conditioner for a long time during this period, otherwise it is easy to make the cold stagnate in the body, so that the body's qi and blood operation is blocked, "especially after sweating or being wet by the rain, when the cold wind blows directly, the pores of the human body will be closed, and the cold is easy to stagnate in the body, resulting in summer dampness and cold, fever, nasal congestion, heavy head, heavy body and limb fatigue and other phenomena." In addition, sudden stimulation by cold wind can easily cause vasoconstriction and induce cardiovascular disease. ”
"Being in an air-conditioned environment for a long time is prone to symptoms such as dizziness, headache, loss of appetite, upper respiratory tract infection, and joint pain, which is often referred to as 'air-conditioning disease'." Liu Lu reminded that to prevent "air conditioning disease", it is necessary to clean the air conditioner regularly, and it is recommended to ask professionals to thoroughly clean and overhaul the air conditioner at least once a year. At the same time, it is necessary to open windows regularly for ventilation to allow air circulation and reduce harmful germs; The temperature of the air conditioner should not be set too low, the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor should not be too large, and the timer function should be used at night, so as to avoid blowing all night, so as not to invade the cold and damage the yang energy.
In ancient times, when there were no air conditioners and electric fans, fans became a must-have thing for the ancients to relieve the heat in summer. In ancient times, on the summer solstice, there was a custom of women giving each other folding fans, fat powder and other things, which were used to fan the wind and disperse the turbidity generated by body heat, so as to eliminate summer and avoid ambush. "Youyang Miscellaneous Tales and Etiquette" said: "On the summer solstice, there are words for entering the fan and powder fat sac", the fan is used to fan the wind and enjoy the coolness, the sachet can remove the smell of sweat, and the powder and fat can be applied to the body to prevent prickly heat.
As the saying goes, "winter solstice dumplings and summer solstice noodles", "after eating summer solstice noodles, the day is short", according to folk customs, most parts of the mainland have to eat noodles on the summer solstice. At this time, Xinmai has appeared, and eating noodles not only means that the summer solstice is the longest, but also celebrates the harvest. There are many types of noodles and many flavors, such as Yangchun noodles, dry soup noodles, sesame oil cold noodles, etc. in the south, and braised noodles, fried sauce noodles, and cold noodles in the north. According to records, in the old days in Beijing, during the summer solstice, "furniture and cold noodles", that is, "over the water", people will cook noodles in the pot through cold water, plus a variety of side dishes and seasonings, as the so-called "a bowl of noodles under the stomach, the heat is half gone".
"Making noodles from flour made from fresh wheat is not only nutritious, but also helps people adapt to the hot weather and cool down." Liu Lu introduced that traditional Chinese medicine believes that wheat is sweet and cool, enters the heart, spleen, and kidney meridians, and the noodles made of it have the effects of replenishing deficiency, thickening the stomach and intestines, strengthening qi, dispelling dampness, and dissipating heat. In the hot summer, eating fish and meat is easy to get greasy, while noodles are refreshing and plain, eating hot noodles can sweat and dispel dampness, eating cold noodles can cool down and relieve fire, noodles are easy to digest, which can not only supplement nutrition, but also will not increase the burden on the spleen and stomach.
"During the summer solstice, the weather is hot, and people have poor appetites, so it is advisable to eat lightly at this time, and give priority to easily digestible food, which not only strengthens the body's yang energy, but also can cool off the heat and nourish yin." Liu Lu said that at this time, you can eat more coarse grains, fresh vegetables, and eat seasonal melons and fruits, such as watermelons and mung beans, both of which have the effects of clearing heat and relieving heat, quenching thirst and diuretic. It should be noted that watermelon and mung beans should not be consumed excessively, so as not to cause spleen and stomach deficiency or diarrhea, and other cold melons, fruits, and ice drinks should not be eaten excessively, so as not to damage the spleen and stomach. In addition, high temperature can easily cause food spoilage, so spoiled food should be thrown away in time.
Solidify yang qi and calm the heart
"In the middle of May, the scenery came from the south. A few pomegranate hairs, a zhang of lotus flowers. "After the summer solstice, all parts of the mainland have entered the middle of summer, the ground is heated strongly, the air convection is vigorous, and thundershowers are often formed from afternoon to evening. This kind of hot thunderstorm comes and goes, the rainfall range is small, people call it "summer rain across the field", the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi once used "the sun rises in the east and rains in the west, the road is sunny but sunny" wonderful verses to describe this weather.
"During the summer solstice, the temperature is high and the humidity is high, which can easily lead to heat stroke, damp heat and cold, gastrointestinal diseases, etc." Liu Lu introduced that the evil of dampness and heat can easily cause colds, which are manifested as headaches, lack of body heat, sweating and heat, drowsiness of limbs, chest tightness and other symptoms. At this time, the windows should be properly opened for ventilation in the morning and evening to maintain indoor air circulation, which will help to discharge moisture from the body and prevent dampness and heat from trapping the spleen. In the summer solstice, the yang energy is strong, you can place green plants to adjust the air humidity, and you can also use mugwort leaves to fumigate to repel moisture and mosquitoes, and protect the yang energy.
"In the hot summer weather, many people no longer soak their feet in hot water, or directly wash their feet with cold water and bathe in cold water, which is not appropriate, because people's pores are in a state of open when the temperature is high, and the cold is easy to invade the human body, resulting in dark damage to yang energy." Liu Lu said that during the summer solstice, it is best to soak your feet and bathe in warm water every day, and prevent yang energy from floating outside by leading the yang downward, relieve symptoms such as excessive heart fire, upset and insomnia, and help to eliminate heat and prevent diseases.
Liu Lu introduced that traditional Chinese medicine believes that the heart is the main god, and the heart is easy to be hyperactive in summer, so special attention needs to be paid to maintaining peace of mind. Traditional Chinese medicine talks about "calming the mind to nourish the mind" and advocating "pranayama to calm the mind", that is, through deep breathing, meditation and other methods, to regulate breathing, stabilize the mind and help stabilize emotions. By meditating the mind and avoiding great joy and sorrow, it helps to reduce the fire of the heart, maintain physical health, and can also moderate catharsis, through communication with relatives and friends, painting, calligraphy, etc., to maintain a happy mood.
During the summer solstice, exercise should also conform to the time of day and reconcile yin and yang. Liu Lu introduced that at this time, it should be mainly relaxed and gentle exercises, such as walking, jogging, Baduanjin, Tai Chi, etc. If the exercise is too aggressive, it can lead to profuse sweating and excessive sweating, which not only hurts the yin qi, but also damages the yang qi. Special attention should be paid to avoiding outdoor activities at noon when the yang energy is at its peak and the temperature is the highest, so as to prevent heat stroke and depletion of yang energy.
The summer solstice has arrived, and the midsummer has come. At this time, the sun is bright, everything is vigorous, the rich summer is flowing with the hymn of life, and the flow of yin and yang is perfectly blended with the change of seasons, reflecting the unique wisdom and natural outlook of the Chinese. At this time when all things are at their peak, may we be vigorous and live up to the time. (Reporter Wang Meihua)
Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition