As the weather gets cooler and the temperature difference between day and night becomes bigger, Frost’s Descent, the last solar term of autumn among the 24 Chinese traditional solar terms, comes.
天气愈渐转凉，昼夜温差愈渐变大，这也标志着二十四节气中秋天的最后一个节气——霜降的到来。
As the saying goes, “‘Three Sees’ appear in Frost’s Descent and good luck will come along”. The presence of the “Three Sees” is a symbol of a regular change of seasons, which represents a bumper harvest of next year in sight.
老话讲：“霜降见三象，福来财气旺”。“三象”的出现，象征着季节的规律变化，意味着来年的丰收在望。
The first is to see the presence of the sun. Due to the big temperature difference between day and night, moisture is easy to condense into dew. As the temperature continues to drop below zero, the dew solidifies into small ice crystals, called frost and the presence of frost can release heat, absorb moisture, and reduce the possibility of precipitation, which means that a day with frost and dew is usually sunny.
“一象”指“见太阳”。霜降时节，由于昼夜温差大，湿气容易凝结成露。当气温继续降低，直至零度以下时，露水便凝固成小冰晶，即霜。而霜的出现会释放热量，吸收湿气，减少降水的可能，也就是说，有霜有露的日子通常为晴天。
The second is to see the fall of the leaves. “As Frost’s Descent comes, the stream flows backwards the ravine and the leaves are blown to the valley by the wind.” Bai Juyi, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, once said. Since Frost’s Descent has been the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, everything is bleak and it’s naturally that vegetation withers and leaves fall. If the leaves are still green and show no sign of falling, it indicates not cool enough weather as well as disordered change of seasons.
“二象”指“见落叶”。白居易曾言：“霜降水返壑，风落木归山。”霜降已为秋末冬初之际，万物萧瑟，自然草木枯败，树叶黄落。如果树叶依旧翠绿，未见凋落之势，则表示天气不够凉冷，季节变化紊乱。
The third is to see the blossom of the chrysanthemum. Most flowers usually bloom in warm spring, but the chrysanthemum is in late autumn. When frost falls, the small ice crystals cover the leaves and branches of the chrysanthemum, which makes it hardier, stronger and more fragrant. Therefore, Frost's Descent has a special custom of climbing a mountain to admire chrysanthemums. Similarly, if the chrysanthemum is not open at this time, it also indicates that the weather will not be too cold after winter.
“三象”指“见菊开”。常言“春暖花开”，而菊花则绽放在晚秋之时。霜降时，轻微的霜华覆盖在菊花枝叶上，会使其更耐寒，更茁壮，香气更浓郁。也因此，霜降又有登高赏菊的雅俗。同样地，若此时菊花未开，也预示着入冬后，天气不会太冷。
The "Three Sees" are a summary of the hard practice from the ancient working people, which provides guidance for agricultural production in Frost’s Descent.
这“三象”是古代劳动人民辛勤实践的总结，为其在霜降时分提供农业生产的指导。
At present, Frost’s Descent has arrived and the temperature difference between day and night has become bigger. Thus, we should pay more attention to keep warm and can drink a cup of hot chrysanthemum tea in season to warm stomach, together expecting and embracing the upcoming winter!
当下，霜降已至，昼夜温差变大，我们要注意保暖，可以喝杯热乎的时令菊花茶暖暖胃，一起期待和拥抱即将到来的冬天吧！
Date: Oct 31, 2023
Photos：Pexels/Pixabay
