How did the ancient people in China invent and summarize the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar?

As we all know, there were many cultural achievements in ancient China, many of which even influenced the course of world history. We like to call the four great inventions of great significance and function the Four Great Inventions to represent the peak of ancient science and technology in China. In fact, some scientific achievements are no less than the four great inventions, and the twenty-four solar terms are one of them.

When it comes to the twenty-four solar terms, many people think that it is traditional culture, and more people think that his cognition stays in the stage of cultural customs rather than science. Some even questioned his scientific nature. Then I can categorically say that the 24 solar terms are quite scientific and one of the most scientific haircuts in the ancient world.

We all learned a nursery rhyme about him when we were children. He should be one of the shortest scientific inventions in the world, with only 48 words. But these 48 words condensed the essence of China ancient scientists' observation and mastery of the periodic motion of the sun. Then let's tell you how scientific the 24 solar terms are with facts.

I. Contents and meanings of the 24 solar terms

The development of history

In ancient times, people have basically mastered the astronomical laws by observing the astronomical phenomena at night. It is precisely because the exploration of the universe and astronomical phenomena began in ancient times that the foundation of calendar was laid at the beginning of civilization. Among them? 24 solar terms? It is one of the basic calendars in China's ancient calendar system.

The formation of complete solar terms is a long process. On the basis of ancient times, it was observed and recorded by later astronomers, and finally combined with the movement of the sun into the law of agricultural operation.

I ching record: the elasticity does not exceed four hours. Cold goes to summer, and summer goes to cold. Cold and summer push each other, but age becomes awkward. ?

In Shang dynasty, there were four basic solar terms, namely, midsummer, midsummer, midsummer and midsummer, but in Zhou dynasty, the solar terms increased to eight.

Twenty-four solar terms appeared for the first time in the history books of Huainanzi, and the Han Dynasty was also one of the times laid by China's calendar method. ? 24 solar terms? It was in the Western Han Dynasty that the national legal calendar used earth rules to measure the sun shadow and determine the shortest winter solstice. Taking the winter solstice as the starting point of the year, it is divided into 24 points from now on, and the solar calendar in the China lunar calendar is basically finalized.

And what about what we use now? 24 solar terms? It was named by the Qing dynasty more than 300 years ago? Fixed gas method? Twenty-four solar terms, fixed gas method? It is a collection of observational experiences of astronomers in China. According to the ecliptic, the 360-degree circle is divided into 24 parts, which is the same as the principle of modern science.

The meaning of solar terms

The traditional calendar in China is called the lunar calendar, which is not a calendar, but a combination of yin and yang, meaning the moon and the sun. The most important function of the twenty-four solar terms is to reflect the movement law of the sun and the operation of agriculture, so as to arrange agricultural production.

Based on what? Fixed gas method? The beginning of spring is the beginning of a year. Standing? It means the beginning, it means the beginning of spring, and everything has entered a new cycle.

Rain is a typical geographical and meteorological solar term. Rainwater solar term is located in the middle of spring, which brings a lot of water, so it is rainy season. Increased rainfall means that everything begins to sprout. Sting means that spring thunder wakes up hibernating and sleeping animals. Sting? It means hibernation. First, the rain awakens the vegetation, and it is only after the vegetation begins to show signs that it is the turn of animals to recover, which conforms to the laws of nature. The spring thunder season is also the precise control of the ancients on the weather.

Equinox? Integral? It refers to the middle of the spring, which means that the whole spring is divided into two halves and belongs to qi. Qingming is an important representative of the integration of solar terms and festivals. By Qingming, it has already represented the lush spring, and the earth has completed its transformation. Grain Rain is a season with abundant rainfall, and the vigorous growth of plants also means that the mission of spring is coming to an end.

The long summer, like the beginning of spring, represents the beginning of summer. When the year enters the second season, it is time to change the makeup of the world. As the old saying goes, summer is the season to indulge the growth of all things, and it is also the most lush season in a year. Xiaoman means that the seeds germinated in spring have begun to be full, which is an important judgment solar term in agricultural operation.

Ear seed is the season of crop handover. In the vast north (the main political and economic center in ancient times was the north), at this time, the wheat with two crops a year has matured, which is the busy season for farmers to harvest rice in a hurry. Summer Solstice? Where to? And then what? Integral? It's also neutral, which means that summer is half-thinking. At the same time, the summer solstice is also the longest day in a year, which is an accurate scientific record of ancient solar observation. The summer heat has arrived in June of the lunar calendar, which means the weather is beginning to feel hot. The hot summer after half a month is the hottest season in a year, which conforms to the laws of the northern hemisphere.

It's autumn in beginning of autumn, and heaven and earth will change their faces again. It is worth mentioning that the second solar term in autumn is the summer heat, which means that the summer heat is coming to an end. This solar term, which should have appeared at the end of summer, dragged on into autumn, just in line with China's regional climate, and was called the' autumn tiger'. The white dew is that the weather begins to turn cold, and you can already see the dew condensed by hot air turn white.

The autumnal equinox is in autumn, which is a solar term divided equally between day and night. From this day on, the night is bigger than the day. Cold dew can already be felt slightly cold in September of the lunar calendar, and the dew has begun to cool. In the first frost, the hot air at night is not condensed into dew, but directly condensed into frost. The appearance of first frost means that autumn is coming to an end and winter is coming.

Beginning of winter is the beginning of winter, the world has changed again, and everything has been collected. Light snow is the first offensive to announce the arrival of winter, and it begins to change the new face of the world. Heavy snow is the peak of winter. After the heavy snow, the world was white and everything was silent. The winter solstice is in winter, which is the shortest day in a year. The slight chill condensed the wisdom of the ancients. Snow came instead of cold. The temperature continued to drop after the snow, ushered in the coldest period of the year.

Scientific observation of solar terms

What was the earliest way for people to observe the sun? Immediate results? , "History of Science and Technology in China" points out:? Among all astronomical instruments, the oldest is a pole with simple structure and standing upright on the ground. ?

According to modern archaeology, we can be sure that there was a complete observation system at least four thousand years ago, because all the instruments used to observe the sun at that time were unearthed.

There are two props for measuring the shadow of the sun in ancient times. One is a vertical rod called. Watch? One is a ruler that crosses due south and due north. Gui？ . It is an important step in ancient astronomical observation in China to judge the time by reading the length and orientation, and to master the changes of the four seasons and the movement law of the sun. Through constant observation, the ancients found that there are the longest and shortest sun shadow days in a year, thus establishing the summer solstice and the winter solstice.

In ancient China, an official post dedicated to observing the sun and natural changes was set up very early. Is he Xi? , "Shiben? The left record:? Xi, he occupied Japan? , Zhong Song note:? This also shows its size. ?

Zhang Zixin found that the movement of the sun is not uniform, and put forward the conclusion that the sun runs fast after the autumnal equinox and slow after the vernal equinox. This explains what happened before. Flat gas method? The reason why the 24 solar terms are always a few days less in actual use.

It was not until a thousand years later, with the help of modern instruments, that the earth's orbit was found to be elliptical. This is also the 24 solar terms later changed? Fixed gas method? The earliest scientific observation basis.

After the Sui Dynasty, there were more and more phenomena of uneven solar motion in observation. In the Tang Dynasty, calendars were still in use. Flat gas method? , but it has been adopted in actual calculation and use? Fixed gas method? According to the observation of modern precision instruments, thousands of years ago. Fixed gas method? Its scientific nature is self-evident.

Although due to political and other factors? Fixed gas method? Its popularization was difficult, but the scientific facts it observed were beyond doubt, and it was only after fierce struggle in the Qing Dynasty that it became more scientific? Fixed gas method? Completely replaced? Flat gas method? . China people improve themselves and correct themselves on the road of science.

Therefore, it is not only a traditional culture, but also a traditional custom. It represents the highest achievement of China's ancient astronomical exploration of the universe. The emergence and revision of the 24 solar terms also represent the rigorous attitude of China people towards scientific research, which is an important scientific and technological achievement that cannot be ignored.