Minor Cold is the 23rd solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms and also the 5th solar term in winter, which     1     (arrive) on January 5, 6 or 7 every year. This years Minor Cold stars on January 5. After the Winter Solstice (冬至), the temperature continues to drop, and hits its lowest point on the occasion of the Minor Cold and Major Cod. The nine periods     2     (follow) the Winter Solstice are the coldest days in China. And Minor Cold is just in the per id of the second and third nine days.

As the name implies, Minor Cold means that the weather in this period is cold     3     not yet the coldest. However, in north China, the weather during the Minor Cold is colder than     4     of the Major Cold. Therefore, in the north, there is a     5     (say) that the Minor Cold is colder.than the Major Cold. But for some areas in the south, the     6     (low) temperature of the year will still appear in the Major Cold.

Minor Cold     7     (divide) into three 5-day phases in ancient times. In     8     first phase, wild geese would leave the warm places, and start to fly back to the north in     9     (group). In the second phase, magpies (喜鹊) that, are     10     (common) seen in nor them China would begin building nests for young birds. In the third phase, pheasants (野鸡) would crow in search of a mate.

2 . Six Solar Terms in Summer

Lixia is the first solar term in summer, signifying the beginning of the hot summer.    1    People usually consider Lixia as an important solar term. When it comes, the temperature rises obviously, and summer heat arrives, there is a remarkable increase in thunderstorms, and crops enter their peak season for growth.

During Xiaoman, summer harvest crops such as wheat already bear fruits, and their seeds are full though they are not ripe yet. Thus, the solar term is named Xiaoman. The solar term Xiaoman is in late May. Summer begins to reach all parts of the country. Rainfall begins to increase further. Mangzhong means, "wheat with awn（芒）should be harvested soon, and rice seeds with awn can be sown".    2    

On the day of Xiazhi, the daytime in the Northern Hemisphere（半球）reaches its maxi-mum length.    3    At Xiazhi, though there is direct sunlight, it is not the hottest time in a year.

    4    Xiaoshu is minor heat, which means it's not very hot. The weather is getting increasingly hot, but not the hottest moment yet. The crops in the entire country begin to grow rapidly, and this situation requires more intensive field management. Dashu is extreme heat. Compared to Xiaoshu, it's much hotter.    5    And it also marks the period with the fastest growth for crops which enjoy heat.