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Grain in Ear
Busy hands plant the fields; row after row of rice takes root.
Solar term date
Dates follow the Hong Kong Observatory’s calendar. They are civil dates, rather than precise astronomical times.
About this solar term
Grain in Ear begins at solar longitude 75°. Its name refers to awned cereal crops and a busy period of harvesting and sowing.
Traditional signs include hatching mantises, calling shrikes and birds falling quiet. These images belong to China's historical seasonal calendar.
Wheat harvesting and rice planting may overlap in some regions. Farming schedules depend on local conditions, and the term is a reminder of the care and labor behind each crop.
Seasonal signs
Mantises hatch, shrikes begin to call, and other birds fall quiet.
Traditional seasonal signs combine observation with historical imagination. Weather and wildlife vary by region and year.
A reading of the poem
Today is Grain in Ear, and mantises hatch in season. Red clouds cast shifting shadows as birds call back and forth. Lotus flowers open on green ponds amid hot winds and summer rain. Neighbors meet to ask about silk and wheat, glad to hear that the season has treated them well.
Tang dynasty · Traditionally attributed to Yuan Zhen
咏廿四气诗·芒种五月节
Poem source