13 / 24
Beginning of Autumn
A single leaf hints at autumn; a little coolness slips into the evening breeze.
Solar term date
Dates follow the Hong Kong Observatory’s calendar. They are civil dates, rather than precise astronomical times.
About this solar term
Beginning of Autumn starts at solar longitude 135°. It is the traditional start of autumn, even though summer heat may continue for weeks.
Old seasonal signs evoke cool breezes, dew and autumn cicadas. They express a seasonal transition rather than conditions guaranteed on that date.
Harvest preparations and the custom of eating heartier food are associated with the term in some regions. There is no single weather pattern shared by all of China.
Seasonal signs
Cooler breezes arrive, dew gathers, and autumn cicadas call.
Traditional seasonal signs combine observation with historical imagination. Weather and wildlife vary by region and year.
A reading of the poem
Summer ends before one notices, and a cool breeze quietly welcomes autumn. Magpies bridge the Milky Way for the meeting of the celestial lovers. Cold sounds fill the ears and white dew drips from the treetops. A single falling leaf stirs the heart—how could it not bring melancholy?
Tang dynasty · Traditionally attributed to Yuan Zhen
咏廿四气诗·立秋七月节
Poem source