諺語 · a single proverb
春插時，夏插刻
Simplified: 春插时，夏插刻
What does 春插時，夏插刻 (chūn chā shí, xià chā kè) mean?
春插時，夏插刻 (chūn chā shí, xià chā kè) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "Spring transplanting counts in hours, summer transplanting counts in quarter-hours." In use it means: The urgency of rice transplanting intensifies dramatically from spring to summer. In spring, timing is measured in hours, but in summer every quarter-hour matters because fierce heat can wilt uprooted seedlings before they take root. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "Spring transplanting counts in hours, summer transplanting counts in quarter-hours."
The reading
The same task performed two months apart operates under entirely different clocks. A spring seedling pulled from its nursery bed can survive exposure for hours, its roots cushioned by mild air and damp soil. A summer seedling has minutes before the sun begins to dry out its fragile roots. Farmers working the later planting moved with visible urgency, racing between nursery and paddy with bundles of seedlings that could not tolerate any pause.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Rice transplanting proverb from double-cropping regions of southern China, reflecting the urgency of late-season planting
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 春插時，夏插刻 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 春插時，夏插刻 (chūn chā shí, xià chā kè) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Rice transplanting proverb from double-cropping regions of southern China, reflecting the urgency of late-season planting. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 春插時，夏插刻?
In Mandarin it is chūn chā shí, xià chā kè. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 春插時，夏插刻 aloud in Mandarin.