苏说文化二十四节气之立冬（英文版）

立冬，通常在每年阳历11月7日或8日。它是二十四节气中的第十九个，冬季的第一个节气。“立”，建始也，冬季自此开始；“冬”，终也，万物收藏也，动物穴藏，规避寒冷，秋收作物，收库入仓，人类也开始“藏”起来。

The Beginning of Winter, or Lidong in Chinese, is usually marked on November 7 or 8. It is the 19th solar term of the 24 Solar Terms and the first solar term in winter. Li, the beginning of winter and Dong, the end of the year, send everything into hiding: animals hibernate to avoid coldness, autumn crops are harvested and stored, and even humans find their ways to hiding.

第一“藏”，保暖。立冬过后，冷空气活动日渐频繁，气温骤降，此时养生，重在保暖。中医认为，寒为阴邪，侵伤阳气，所以要注重保暖，不可贪凉。此外，适当晚起，保证睡眠，有助阳气潜藏。

The first is hiding from cold as cold winds sweep and temperatures drop sharply after Lidong. The focus of health preservation at this moment is to keep warm. According to traditional Chinese medicine, cold is harmful to one's Yangqi, or life energy in English. Therefore, special attention should be paid to keeping warm. People can don multiple layers or choose to stay in bed late to nurture their Yangqi.

第二“藏”，食补。天寒地冻，驱寒食物，常备家中。中国南方，人们会食用滋阴补阳、热量较高的食物，如鸡鸭鱼肉等。中国人非常重视“交替”时节，谓之“交”，即就是阴阳交替之际，如日月之交、季节之交等。立冬为秋冬之交，故为重要的交替时节，因此在北方，此时就要吃与“交”谐音的饺子。

The second is hiding from illness. Foods that drive away cold should be stocked in the kitchen. In the southern part of China people tend to eat high calorie foods such as chicken, duck, fish, and so on. The Chinese attach great importance to nodes, or Jiao in Chinese. Jiao is the period in time when two contradictory elements come together, such as the times when the day burns into dusk and seasons melt into another. Lidong is when autumn is giving way to icy winds, so it's an important time node. During this time, in the northern part of China, people will feast on Jiaozi, which is pronounced as Jiao, to celebrate Lidong .

立冬，秋冬交替，故在古代，被认为是一个重要的节日，极为重视。皇帝率领文武百官到京城北郊祭祀，赏赐大臣过冬棉衣，施舍鳏寡孤独，昭告天下百姓，准备过冬。民间百姓也纷纷制作冬衣，并有为逝去的亲人“烧寒衣”的习俗。这些仪式，给寒风乍起的初冬，带来阵阵暖意。

The transition from autumn to winter was an important festival in ancient times. The emperor would hold a ceremony in the countryside, when ministers were awarded winter clothes, widows and orphans were subsidized and subjects were reminded of the coming winter. Winter clothes were prepared, and even there was a tradition of burning paper clothes as an offering for ancestors to help them ward off cold. The festivities warmed hands as well as hearts of communities as they geared up for a bitter battle against cold.

立冬时节，草木凋零，蛰虫入土，鸟雉入水，但却挡不住人们的生活热情。适量运动，强身健体，抵御寒冬。今天，人们用新的方式来“迎冬”——比如冬泳，不仅锻炼身体，也增加了生活的乐趣。

With winter in full swing, vegetation withers, insects fall into slumber and animals hibernate. But the human spirits do not wane. A certain degree of sporting activities enhances the human body's resistance to cold winter. So today, people use new ways to welcome winter, such as winter swimming, which not only benefits the body, but also increases the fun of life.

立冬，冬天来到，万物潜藏，积蓄能量，为来年春天的生发做足准备。

Winter is thus a time of resting, rehabilitating and nourishing while getting ready to welcome the next season.