How many seasons was the year divided into in ancient China?

In ancient times, spring, summer, autumn and winter were the beginning of the four seasons; there were also summer calendars from January to March as spring, from April to June as summer, from July to September as autumn, and from October to December as winter. Western astronomy is the spring equinox, summer solstice, fall equinox, winter solstice for the beginning of each season.

More recently, the solar calendar is often used to refer to March-May as spring, June-August as summer, September-November as fall, and December-February as winter. Chinese people usually use the climate, especially the temperature, as the standard to divide the four seasons. The length of the seasons varies from place to place, and sometimes the difference is even great.

Expanded information (with: bibliography):

In the course of a year, due to the regular changes in solar radiation, resulting in the Earth's spring-summer-autumn-winter cycle, for the mid-latitudes is the change of the four seasons. This is one of the natural phenomena caused by the rotation of the earth. Due to the direct sun (refers to the sun at noon can reach the zenith position) in the year between the south and north tropic of Cancer, so that any location on the earth in a year the length of day and night and the height of the sun at noon to produce cyclical changes, resulting in the daily amount of solar radiation in the year has a cyclical change. This variation is most pronounced in the mid-latitudes, less so on either side of the equator, while the polar regions are only divided into winter and summer without spring and fall.

The four seasons are divided into two main methods: China and some countries are divided into different methods, our country to spring, summer, autumn, winter as spring, summer, autumn and winter seasons as the starting point, so that the equinoxes, summer solstices, autumn equinoxes, winter solstices is exactly the middle of the seasons; some countries use another method of division of our country's division of the method of postponing half a season, respectively, with the spring equinoxes, solstices, autumn equinoxes, Winter solstice as the starting point of each season. Both division methods take into account the astronomical meaning, and the law of the earth's rotation and not fully with the ground climate characteristics. From the actual climate situation, the latter climatic meaning is stronger than the former.

--Chinese secondary school teaching encyclopedia - geography volume.? Shenyang Publishing House. ?1990

Temperate zones have a year of spring, summer, fall and winter, collectively known as the four seasons. China's ancient to spring, summer, autumn, winter for the beginning of the four seasons; also to the summer calendar from January to March for the spring, every three months for a season, and so on. In the northern hemisphere, generally to the solar calendar in January, July, respectively, for the year's coldest and hottest month, so modern times often take the two months as the center of winter and summer months, that is, the solar calendar 3-5 months for the spring, and so on. Climate in view of the geographical location of the latitude of different places, cold and warm seasons have their own length, so change to the temperature shall prevail. China is usually the average temperature of the climate 10 ℃ rose to 22 ℃ for the period of spring; higher than 22 ℃ for the period of summer; from 22 ℃ down to 10 ℃ for the period of fall, lower than 10 ℃ for the period of winter. According to this standard, there is no winter south of the Wenzhou-Yongan-Liuzhou-Kunming line in China. Aihui - Nenjiang - Heihe - Hohhot line north of a few summer.

-- China Fangzhi Dictionary.? Zhejiang People's Publishing House. ?1988

Temperate zones in the year of spring, summer, fall and winter of the collective name. The four seasons are divided into two categories according to their basic criteria. One for the astronomical seasons, the Chinese tradition of spring, summer, autumn and winter for the beginning of the four seasons; also to the lunar calendar from January to March for the spring, every three months for a season, the rest of the analogous; Western countries to the equinoxes, summer solstices, autumn equinoxes and winter solstices for the beginning of the four seasons; the northern hemisphere is also generally to the calendar from March to May for the spring, three months per season, the rest of the analogous. The above divisions are astronomical seasons, its **** with the same characteristics for the hemisphere, they start at the same time, end at the same time, and the same length of each season, and the actual temperature has little to do. Another for the climatic seasons or physical seasons, it is based on the actual temperature scale to divide, China is usually weather (5 consecutive days) average temperature is higher than 22 ℃ period for the summer, lower than 10 ℃ period for the winter, between the two periods for the spring or fall. In this way, the start and end dates of the seasons vary from place to place, and the length varies; there is even no season at all, for example, there is no winter on Hainan Island in China, and there is no summer in Mohe.

-- Dictionary of Geography.? Hebei Education Press. ?1992

The general term for the four seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter in a year. In ancient China, each season was characterized by three months, known as Meng, Zhong and Ji. There are four seasons and months in a year, and the name of the four seasons originates from this. Ancient to spring, summer, autumn, winter for the beginning of the four seasons; there is also a summer calendar from one to March for spring, four to June for summer, seven to September for the fall, ten to December for the winter. Western astronomy is the spring equinox, summer solstice, fall equinox, winter solstice for the beginning of each season. Therefore, in recent times, the solar calendar is generally often March-May for spring, June-August for summer, September-November for autumn, December to February for winter. Chinese people usually use the climate, especially the temperature, as a criterion for dividing the four seasons. The length of the seasons varies from place to place, and sometimes the difference is even great.

-- The Dictionary of Chinese History - Previous Volume. Shanghai Rhetoric Publishing House. ?2000