The autumnal equinox is the sixteenth solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, and the fourth solar term of autumn. The time of the autumnal equinox is generally on September 22nd, 23rd, and 24th in the Gregorian calendar. During the Autumn Equinox solar term, the sun reaches 180 degrees of the ecliptic longitude on this day.
We have studied astronomy and know that 180 degrees of the ecliptic is exactly the angle of the sun, which is directly on the equator for Earth. Therefore, on this day, the day and night are evenly divided, each lasting 12 hours. So in this situation, there is no phenomenon of polar day or polar night worldwide.
In the "Spring and Autumn Annals: Yin and Yang Entering and Exiting Chapters," it is recorded that "during the autumnal equinox, Yin and Yang are evenly distributed, resulting in a balance between day and night and a balance between cold and heat. The autumnal equinox, like the vernal equinox, is a time when the sun shines directly on the equator. (Please follow WeChat: pengxinboshi) Therefore, whether it is the autumnal equinox or the vernal equinox, the time period of these two solar terms, day and night, is 12 hours evenly divided, so it is called the equinox. Attention everyone, the meaning of the autumnal equinox is actually to divide day and night into two equal halves, and the meaning of the vernal equinox is also the same.
After the autumnal equinox, the angle at which the sun shines directly on the Earth's surface gradually shifts southward, so the weather in the northern hemisphere becomes colder and the weather in the southern hemisphere becomes hotter. On the contrary, after the vernal equinox, the angle at which the sun shines directly on the Earth gradually shifts northward, so the temperature in the northern hemisphere gradually rises while the temperature in the southern hemisphere gradually decreases. So everyone remembers the vernal equinox and autumnal equinox, and knows that as long as they see the equinox, it means equal equinox, with half yin and half yang.
From this day on, the position of direct sunlight shifts from the equator to the southern hemisphere, and a situation begins in the northern hemisphere where the days are shorter and the nights are longer. This means that the nights will become longer and the days will become shorter, resulting in colder weather. According to the traditional Chinese calendar, this time happens to be half of the 90 days of autumn, hence it is called the autumnal equinox.
According to astronomical regulations, autumn in the Northern Hemisphere begins with the autumnal equinox, and astronomy has its own way of defining it, which is different from the general division of seasons. Astronomy believes that autumn begins with the autumnal equinox. From a climatological perspective, during the autumnal equinox, the Yangtze River Basin and northern regions gradually enter the climate state of autumn, with daily average temperatures dropping below 22 degrees Celsius. Although some areas in the south are still relatively hot, cold air masses in the north are gradually taking over, so the rainy season in most areas has ended. This is the climate change after the autumnal equinox.
In the "Huainanzi Astronomy Training", it is said: "White dew adds fifteen days, and the finger plays with the rope. Therefore, it is called the Autumn Equinox, and the medium hibernates in Beixiang. In the "Collection and Interpretation of the Seventy Two Marquis of the Moon", it is said that "the autumn equinox is in the middle of August". In fact, it refers to the changes in solar terms. Starting from the day of the autumnal equinox, the three major characteristics of climate are that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer; The second one is that the temperature difference between day and night gradually increases, and the amplitude of the temperature difference will mostly exceed 10 degrees Celsius; The third point is that the temperature will decrease day by day, perhaps from the beginning of autumn to the end of summer to white dew. During these solar terms, the temperature change may not be as obvious, but after the autumnal equinox, the weather will cool down very quickly, getting colder day by day. These are the three characteristics after the autumnal equinox.
So with the change of climate, crops are also changing accordingly. There is a saying in agriculture: "White dew is planted in high mountains, autumn is divided into flat rivers. After the autumnal equinox, autumn harvest, autumn plowing, and autumn sowing begin. This is the busy season of the three autumns, especially in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the southern region of Shanxi. Corn and millet are in the harvest season, and cotton is in the process of shedding cotton. This is the perfect time for harvesting. At this season, winter wheat is in the prime of sowing. So the phenology in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River reflects the characteristics of autumn harvest and autumn sowing, which is the standard phenological change during the autumnal equinox season.
In the Yangtze River Basin and some areas in southern China, this season coincides with the harvest of late rice. Deeply plow the soil and prepare to sow rapeseed. The late rice of the double season happens to be at this season, called heading and flowering, which is a critical period for yield formation. Therefore, there is also a saying in agriculture called "the autumn equinox does not emerge, cut and feed the old cattle". This is the phenological characteristics of the entire autumn equinox season and the growth characteristics of crops.
How to maintain health during the Autumn Equinox season? Because the autumnal equinox divides day and night equally, health preservation must adapt to the natural way of yin and yang in heaven and earth. We need to follow the principle of "correspondence between heaven and man" as stated in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, to maintain the balance of yin and yang in the human body.
1、 Prevent dryness and evil from injuring people
To maintain this balance, attention should be paid to the following points. The first is to prevent interference from external pathogens. We know that there are six types of external evils - wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire. What kind of evil is it in autumn? It's the order of dryness and evil. So in autumn, after being injured by dryness, many people tend to cough easily, which is called dryness injuring the lungs. Children, this time happens to be a period of time after the start of school, about three weeks after the start of school, which happens to be the autumnal equinox. At this point, you will notice that many children begin to cough, have sore throats, speak hoarsely, and experience discomfort in their throats.
At this time, we may encounter many patients with lung problems in the outpatient department, which are actually caused by dryness. Because in autumn, when the weather is dry, the main external pathogen that the human body is affected by is dryness. Therefore, at this time, it is necessary to maintain moisture, which is called moistening the lungs in Chinese medicine. What is used to moisten the lungs? We can use common foods such as pears and lilies, and also go to supermarkets or some large pharmacies to buy autumn pear paste to eat. Autumn pear paste is a special ingredient in Beijing. It is made by mixing autumn pears with some honey, boiling them into a paste, putting it in a jar, and drinking it with a small spoonful in a bowl. Then dissolve it in water and drink autumn pear paste water. It is also good for the lungs and can moisturize them. This is one of the ways we maintain lung qi and moisture. This is the first one.
2、 Pay attention to keeping warm and protected from the cold
The second one is that in autumn, the weather gradually cools down, so the temperature difference between day and night is also very large. When this situation occurs, everyone must pay attention, that is, they must add clothes in the morning and evening, and never say that they don't wear thick clothes because of their good health.
In traditional Chinese medicine and folk culture, there is a popular saying called "covering up in spring and freezing in autumn". People must not overinterpret this sentence, as it seems that "autumn freezing" refers to the need to freeze well in autumn. Wear less in the morning, let the cold wind blow and freeze. It's wrong to think that it's very cold at night and not wearing clothes. Why is it wrong? Everything has its own degree. The so-called "spring covering and autumn freezing" means that in autumn, the sweat pores of the body gradually close. At this time, we need to make our body feel a certain degree of coolness and the feeling of the weather turning cold. We must not say that we are covering too heavily. In this way, your pores will not close tightly enough, making it easy to get sick, so it is called autumn frost.
But you can't overinterpret it, saying 'autumn frost' means to freeze well. You did indeed freeze, but after that, you caught a cold, which is very harmful to your body. So in autumn, as long as the weather gets cold in the morning and evening, it is important to pay attention to adding clothing.
We should pay attention to bringing a coat when we go to work. For example, if you work overtime very late and come home late at night, the sun sets, and it's even eight or nine o'clock. At this time, the weather and climate are rapidly cooling down. If you wear a T-shirt, you may feel very cold. At this time, you need to put on a jacket to avoid the harm of cold to the body. This is what I remind everyone to pay attention to, that is, "spring covering and autumn freezing" must not be overly understood. We must adjust the balance of yin, yang, qi, and blood in our body according to the changes in the weather, and must not be excessive. Especially for the elderly and children, these two are prone to getting sick. So we must pay attention during this period.
3、 Pay attention to mental well-being
The third point is that in autumn, all things wither and fallen leaves flutter. At this time, people are prone to a melancholic emotion called 'autumn sadness', and their psychology is prone to this state of sadness. How can we regulate it?
In this regard, it is necessary to take mental care of oneself, maintain a calm mindset, and avoid emotions of great joy or great sadness, as these emotions have a significant impact on the body. How to adjust it? I recommend several kinds of sports to regulate our physical and mental state through sports. Because the autumnal equinox solar term spans 15 days, most of the autumnal equinox solar terms include the Mid-Autumn Festival, so in this solar term, we can have a short and long holiday, that is, a holiday of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and sometimes the National Day holiday. So during this short holiday, we can go hiking, and I recommend hiking or autumn outings.
Because autumn is a beautiful season with gentle winds and sunny days, it is a great time to travel all year round. Moreover, the climate is not very cold or hot anymore, and it happens to be pleasant for people to go out for activities. Proper exercise can make people feel happy and relaxed both physically and mentally. If we go hiking, the amount of oxygen we consume is about 10 to 20 times more than when we sit and breathe normally. So this abundant oxygen is very beneficial for the human heart and other organs. It can increase lung ventilation, increase lung capacity, and promote blood circulation, especially in the internal organs and brain. The third one has a good effect on weight loss and lowering blood lipids.
Therefore, during the autumnal equinox season, if we want to exercise, we should choose outdoor autumn outings or mountain climbing as a way of exercising. Because outdoors during the autumnal equinox season, the green plants on the mountains are still dense. These green plants can purify the air and release oxygen, so the negative oxygen ions are relatively high, which is very beneficial for our physical health.
At the same time, when climbing, the temperature at the top of the mountain is lower than that at the foot of the mountain. So as we climb the mountain, the temperature changes slowly. During this process, our body gradually adjusts its ability to adapt to changes in temperature, but it is not particularly intense. Therefore, in this situation, it is very beneficial for our body's regulatory system. Therefore, mountaineering is very suitable for the prevention and treatment of neurasthenia, dyspepsia, and some chronic low back and leg pain, or arteriosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension. So I recommend everyone to go outdoors in autumn, choose a sunny weather to exercise outdoors, climb mountains, go for an outing, and take walks. These are all very beneficial to the body. This is the third point.
4、 Go to bed early and wake up late, in line with the autumn harvest
The fourth point is our schedule, because after the autumnal equinox, the dawn is late and the darkness is getting earlier and earlier, so the night is getting longer and the day is getting shorter. So the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon has always taught us to follow the laws of nature, so at this time, we deliberately go to bed early and wake up late, and rest early to follow the autumn harvest of nature. For example, many elderly people wake up at 5 or 6 o'clock. At this point, although you wake up, you can take a nap in bed and not wake up too quickly. Why do I need to sleep a little longer and wake up later? Because this is the autumn harvest. Collect all the yang energy in your body and do not dissipate it. So in this process, it is necessary to maintain a state of collection in the body, which is called going to bed early and getting up late. In this way, after paying attention to these points, we can maintain the balance of yin and yang in the human body, prevent the invasion of external pathogens, and at the same time, we can persist in exercising, enhance our physical fitness, maintain a happy mood, and maintain a peaceful mentality. In this way, the five organs can be peaceful and tranquil, and the spirit is the key to healing. This is the health preservation method taught to us by the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon.
Autumn Equinox Phenology
Looking back, there are three phenological stages of the autumnal equinox: the first is when thunder begins to subside, the second is when insects become dormant, and the third is when water begins to dry up.
After the autumnal equinox, we rarely hear thunder, and there is less thunder after the equinox.
In five days, the hibernating animals will start building their own caves and preparing for the winter. Because animals are very sensitive, they can perceive the changes in the balance of heaven and earth phenology, yin and yang, cold and heat, so they have already felt this coolness at this time. This is what ancient people called autumn coolness. After autumn coolness, small animals began to build caves.
In five days, the accumulated water in these small ponds and dams will gradually decrease and tend to dry up. This is what we mentioned earlier, that is, the rainy season has passed, especially in the north where it will become increasingly dry. Once it dries up, the water evaporates very quickly. So some small ponds and accumulated water slowly dried up. These are the three phenological phases of the autumnal equinox.
So, everyone must pay attention to the entire Autumn Equinox solar term. At this time, the climate is dry and it is important to maintain good lung lubrication. At the same time, there is a large temperature difference between day and night, so it is important to add clothing. The third one is that the autumn season can also easily create a sense of sadness. At this time, you need to maintain a calm mindset, often go on outings or mountain climbing, relax your mood, and have a good positive regulatory effect on your body.
The last one is to go to bed as early as possible and wake up slightly later than usual, so that our bodies are in a state of collection. This is the method and principle of health preservation taught to us by the Huangdi Neijing during the Autumn Equinox solar term.
Disclaimer: This article is a sharing of health knowledge. The drugs, prescriptions, acupuncture and moxibustion and other treatment and health preserving methods mentioned in this article should be applied under the guidance of professional doctors, and should not be applied by yourself. We are not responsible for any issues arising from improper use.