The Beginning of Winter is the 19th of the Twenty-four Solar Terms. It is the first Solar Term in the winter season, which marks the onset of this season. It is called the “four beginnings” along with the beginnings of Spring, Summer, and Autumn.This term suggests that leaves would fall and wither, and everything is about to lie dormant.
立冬，是二十四节气的第十九个节气，代表着冬季的开始，是冬季的第一个节气。立冬与立春、立夏、立秋合称“四立”。立冬，意味着草木凋零，万物进入休养状态。
In fact, the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology. The climate every year is different, so the beginning of winter could vary. And with the vast territory of China, winter time starts at different times in different areas.
事实上，从气象学上讲，立冬并非冬天的开始。每年的气候都是不一样的，因而冬天开始的时间也会有所差异。由于中国幅员辽阔，每个地区的冬季也不会在同一时间开始。
A legend has it that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty , "Medical Saint" Zhang Zhongjing saved many people in Henan province from a typhoid epidemic and their ears’ from being frostbitten around Start of Winter.
传说在东汉末年，“医圣”张仲景救了许多河南人，让他们免于流行伤寒，帮助他们在初冬时耳朵免于冻伤。
He cooked mutton, hot peppers and herbs to dispel the cold and increase body temperature. He wrapped these ingredients into a dough skin and made them into an ear shape. Since then, people have learned to make the food which became known as "dumpling". Today there is still a saying that goes "Eat dumplings on Start of Winter Day, or your ears will be frostbitten".
他通过煮羊肉、辣椒和一些草药来给大家驱寒，增加体温。他把这些配料包在一个面皮里，做成耳朵形状。从那时起，人们就学会了包饺子。今天仍然有一个说法，“在初冬吃饺子，否则你的耳朵会被冻伤”。
Date:November 24, 2023
