What does "Three Stages of Great Cold" mean?
The three stages of severe cold: chicken milk, seriously ill birds, and Shui Ze's abdomen are firm.
The pre-Qin history book "Yi Zhou Shu Shi Xun Jie": "It's cold, and chickens start to eat milk. On the fifth day, the stork fell ill. In five days, Ze's abdomen will be firm. Chickens don't start breastfeeding, prostitutes fuck men. The bird is not strong, and the country does not remove soldiers. Shui Ze has no stomach and he is not obedient. "
Like other solar terms, the ancients also found out the typical characteristics of animal reactions and natural changes in the great cold season, that is, the "Great Cold Phase III" and "Yi Zhou Shu Shi Xun Jie" said: "When it is cold, chickens begin to eat milk. On the fifth day, the stork fell ill. In five days, Zefu will be strong. " It means that when the solar terms are serious, hens who have rested in winter will start laying eggs and can hatch chicks; In five days, the falcon will hover in the air and hunt more fiercely; In five days, even the center of the pond will form a hard layer of ice.
According to these phenomena and characteristics, the ancients summed up the "Three Stages of Great Cold", which would be considered as a bad omen if it was abnormal. For example, "chickens don't start nursing" is "whoring women and disorderly men", which shows that the social atmosphere has deteriorated; "The bird is not strong" means that "the country does not eliminate soldiers", implying social instability; "Shui Ze has no stomach" means "keeping his word", which shows that he is not fluent in his speech and his government decrees are impassable.
Of course, these statements are not scientific, but they reveal the "real" attitude of the ancients towards the great cold solar terms-the abnormal climate phenomenon after the arrival of the great cold solar terms, which must be taken seriously and dealt with. The great cold is the most important month of the year, and the "year's end festival" is held. The statement of "Three Seasons of Great Cold" in Yizhoushu is intended to remind people that the great cold is only nine winters, and it coincides with the end of the year and the Chinese New Year is coming soon. We should respect heaven and fear God, but also be merciful.
Interpretation of the content and significance of the third stage of severe cold
Waiting for chicken milk: "Chicken milk" means that chickens start feeding their offspring. Why start breeding at this time? Because hens need a certain amount of sunshine to lay eggs, before the great cold solar terms, the light is less, so they rarely lay eggs. So, what does light have to do with whether hens can lay eggs? Because the hen's ovaries need to be stimulated by ultraviolet rays, and the light is less, the mineral elements such as vitamin D needed for laying eggs will be less. Therefore, when the solar terms begin and the light increases, hens can lay eggs and multiply.
Second, the syndrome bird is powerful: the nickname of the syndrome bird is falcon, which is a fierce bird. This bird can cross the Pacific Ocean with a twig in its mouth. The reason why it really wants to hug the branches is that it can throw the branches into the sea when it is tired, and then stand on them to rest. When it is hungry, it can directly catch fish to eat, and finally it can successfully cross the Pacific Ocean. Why does this bird "get sick" in the cold season? The "calendar disease" here refers to fierceness and quickness. The reason why bird recruitment becomes fierce and fast is that it is colder in cold season, and he has to grab more food to resist the cold.
Three times, water moistens the abdomen: "Shui Ze" refers to the lake, and "abdomen" refers to the "firmness" in the center of the lake, which means firmness. In the cold season, the ice on the lake will freeze in the middle of the lake, and the whole ice surface will become very solid. At this time we can play freely on it. Generally, in the last few days of the year, the ice on the lake is thicker. I think it's quite cold these days.