How to determine the 24 solar terms in the ancient calendar of China?
The 24 solar terms are beginning of spring, Rain, Surprise, Equinox, Qingming, Grain Rain, Long Summer, Xiaoman, Busy, Summer Solstice, Slight Summer, beginning of autumn, Chushu, Millennium, Equinox, Cold Dew, First Frost, beginning of winter, Light Snow, Heavy Snow, Winter Solstice, Slight Cold and Severe Cold. Twenty-four solar terms were of great significance to agricultural development in ancient times. This is also one of the important reasons for the invention of the twenty-four solar terms. The 24 solar terms are an important part of our traditional calendar. So how did people in ancient China divide the 24 solar terms? Because this method is really accurate.
Twenty-four solar terms are a time knowledge system formed by ancient Chinese people through observing and summarizing the annual movement of the sun. There are painting styles recorded in some ancient books, and three methods are mainly used in the 24 solar terms, namely, the method of shifting stars, the method of measuring shadows with standard tables and the method of Huang Chi intersection. They judge some time laws by observing some astronomical movements. These three methods are different. The method of measuring the shadow of the standard meter is to insert a straight pole on the ground, and look at the length of the pole shadow at noon every day. The longest shadow day is winter solstice, and the shortest shadow day is summer solstice. Then take the winter solstice as the starting point, set the time between two winter solstice days as one year, and then calculate the 24 solar terms according to the time from summer solstice day.
The twenty-four solar terms were not discovered at once, but were explored by generations after a period of time, because the development of science and technology was limited at that time. So this can really be called the wisdom and wealth of our ancient people.