燕yàn子zi來lái種zhòng苧zhù麻má,，燕yàn子zi去qù種zhòng大dà麻má

What does 燕子來種苧麻，燕子去種大麻 (yàn zi lái zhòng zhù má, yàn zi qù zhòng dà má) mean?

燕子來種苧麻，燕子去種大麻 (yàn zi lái zhòng zhù má, yàn zi qù zhòng dà má) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "When swallows arrive, plant ramie; when swallows leave, plant hemp." In use it means: The spring arrival of migratory swallows signals the right time to plant ramie, while their autumn departure marks the season for planting hemp. Bird migration serves as a living agricultural calendar for fiber crops. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.

Literally: "When swallows arrive, plant ramie; when swallows leave, plant hemp."

The reading

Swallows carry no farming tools, yet they are among the most reliable advisors a grower of fiber crops could consult. Their arrival means soil temperatures have crossed a threshold that ramie roots require, and their departure confirms that the shorter days and cooler nights hemp prefers have begun. A village that pays attention to what flies overhead can plant with more confidence than one relying solely on fixed dates. The oldest calendars had wings.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element土 Earth
• Zodiac tie狗 Year of the Dog

Source Folk planting-calendar proverb from central Chinese farming communities growing fiber crops

Sits beside

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 Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.