早zǎo立lì秋qiū涼liáng颼sōu颼sōu,，晚wǎn立lì秋qiū熱rè死sǐ牛niú

What does 早立秋涼颼颼，晚立秋熱死牛 (zǎo lì qiū liáng sōu sōu, wǎn lì qiū rè sǐ niú) mean?

早立秋涼颼颼，晚立秋熱死牛 (zǎo lì qiū liáng sōu sōu, wǎn lì qiū rè sǐ niú) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "Early Liqiu brings cool breezes; late Liqiu brings heat that kills cattle." In use it means: If the Liqiu solar term (Start of Autumn, around August 7) falls in the morning, autumn coolness arrives quickly. If it falls in the afternoon or evening, oppressive heat lingers well into the season. This folk meteorological rule links the hour of the solar term transition to subsequent weather. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.

Literally: "Early Liqiu brings cool breezes; late Liqiu brings heat that kills cattle.."

The reading

The same event occurring hours apart can produce entirely different outcomes. Small differences in timing ripple outward in ways that are difficult to predict but impossible to ignore. Farmers learned to read these distinctions because their livelihood depended on it. Precision in observation is a form of respect for the forces that shape daily life.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusLooks ahead
• Element金 Metal
• Zodiac tie牛 Year of the Ox

Source Folk weather proverb, particularly common in Henan and Anhui provinces

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 Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.