立秋是二十四节气中的第十三个节气，秋季的第一个节气；每年8月7、8或9日为立秋，此时太阳到达黄道135°。“秋”就是指暑去凉来，意味着秋天的开始。到了立秋，梧桐树必定开始落叶。从文字角度来看，"秋"字由禾与火字组成，是禾谷成熟的意思。

Liqiu (Start of Autumn) is the 13^th solar term and the first one in autumn. It is on 7^th, 8^th or 9^th of August, when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 135 degrees. Autumn means that heat will fade and the weather begins to cool down. The leaves of Chinese parasols start to fall on Liqiu. Literally, the Chinese character for autumn (秋) is composed of 禾 (grain) and 火 (fire), which means the grains are ripe.

一、气候特点

I. Climatic Features

立秋节气预示着炎热的夏季即将过去，秋天就要来临。当立秋到来时，我国很多地方仍然处在炎热的夏季之中。立秋后虽然一时暑气难消，还有“秋老虎”的余威，但天气总的趋势是天气逐渐凉爽。气温的早晚温差逐渐明显，往往是白天很热，而夜晚却比较凉爽。

Liqiu signifies that the hot summer will soon give place to autumn. At Liqiu, many parts of China are still in blistering summer day. Though heat still prevails afterwards, not to mention the remaining influence of Indian summer, it is generally getting cooler. The temperature difference gets bigger—very hot in the daytime, but relatively cool at night.

古代立秋分为三候：“初侯凉风至”，立秋后，我国许多地区开始刮偏北风，偏南风逐渐减少。小北风给人们带来了丝丝凉意。“二侯白露降”，由于白天日照仍很强烈，夜晚的凉风刮来形成一定的昼夜温差，空气中的水蒸气清晨室外植物上凝结成了一颗颗晶莹的露珠。“三侯寒蝉鸣”，这时候的蝉，食物充足，温度适宜，在微风吹动的树枝上得意地鸣叫着，好像告诉人们炎热的夏天过去了。

Ancient Chinese divide Liqiu into three periods: The first period embraces cool wind. After Liqiu, northerly wind blows in many places and brings the cool weather, while southerly wind gradually blows less. The second period sees white dew, which is a result of temperature difference. In the daytime there is much sunlight, yet at night the cool wind brings down the temperature. Early in the morning, the vapor condenses on leaves and becomes dew. The third period hears cicadas’ songs. With enough food and agreeable temperature, cicadas sing proudly on the twigs, probably telling us summer is gone.

当然，由于全国各地气候不同，秋季真正开始时间也不一致。

Since different places have different climate, their autumn begins at different times.

二、节气习俗

II. Folk Customs

贴秋膘

Eating More to Gain Weight

民间流行在立秋这天以悬秤称人，将体重与立夏时对比来检验肥瘦，体重减轻叫“苦夏”。因为人到夏天，本就没有什么胃口，饭食清淡简单，两三个月下来，体重大都要减少一点。那时人们对健康的评判，往往只以胖瘦做标准，瘦了当然需要“补”。等秋风一起，胃口大开时，就要吃点好的，增加一点营养，补偿夏天的损失，补的办法就是“贴秋膘”：在立秋这天各种各样的肉，炖肉烤肉红烧肉等等，“以肉贴膘”。

It’s a folk tradition to weigh on Liqiu and compare with the weight on Lixia (Start of Summer). Usually we are thinner in “bitter summer” because we do not have much appetite and eat simple. After two or three months, most of us lose weight. In the past, weight is often the only criterion for health. If one gets thinner, he certainly needs to eat more. When the autumn wind blows, our will have good appetite. To make up for the weight lost in summer, on Liqiu, we eat a variety of meats to flesh out, like stewed meat, grilled meat and pork stewed in soy sauce .

立秋节

Liqiu Festival

立秋节，也称七月节。时间在公历每年8月7日或8日开始，从周代流传至今。民国以来，在广大农村中，在立秋这天的白天或夜晚，有预卜天气凉热之俗。还有以西瓜、四季豆尝新、奠祖的风俗。

Liqiu Festival is also known as July Festival. Originating from Zhou Dynasty, it starts on 7^th or 8^th of August. Since the days of the Republic of China, many rural areas  have formed the tradition of foretelling temperature in the daytime or at night on the day of Liqiu, andeating watermelons and green beans, or worshiping ancestors.

啃秋

Gnawing Autumn

“啃秋”在有些地方也称为“咬秋”。天津讲究在立秋这天吃西瓜或香瓜，称“咬秋”，寓意炎炎夏日酷热难熬，时逢立秋，将其咬住。江苏等地也在立秋这天吃西瓜以“咬秋”，据说可以不生秋痱子。在浙江等地，立秋日取西瓜和烧酒同食，民间认为可以防疟疾。

In some places it is called “biting autumn”. On Liqiu, the people of Tianjin eat watermelons or cantaloupes. This custom is called “biting autumn”, i.e., people bite food to trap the scorching summer heat. In places like Jiangsu, people eat watermelons as a way to “bite autumn”, which they believe can prevent heat rash. In Zhejiang and other places, people eat watermelons and drink shoku to prevent malaria, as they believe.

秋社

Qiushe    

秋社原是秋季祭祀土地神的日子，始于汉代，后世将秋社定在立秋后第五个戊日。此时收获已毕，官府与民间皆于此日祭神答谢。宋时秋社有食糕、饮酒、妇女归宁之俗。

Qiushe used to be a day to worship the God of Land. This festival stems from Han Dynasty, and later generations decide to make it on the fifth Taoist Taboo Day after Liqiu, when crops are harvested. On that day, both the government and the public worship the God of Land to express their gratitude for autumn harvest. In Song Dynasty, people eat cakes and drink wine and married women visit their parents’ home on Qiushe.

三、立秋养生

III. Health Tips

立秋虽然标志着秋季的开始，但立秋后的一段时间内气温通常还是较高，空气的湿度也还很大，人们会有闷热潮湿的感觉。再加上人们在夏季常常因为苦夏或过食冷饮，多有脾胃功能减弱的现象，此时如果大量进食补品，特别是过于滋腻的养阴之品，会进一步加重脾胃负担，使长期处于“虚弱”的胃肠不能一下子承受，导致消化功能紊乱。因此，初秋进补宜清补而不宜过于滋腻。

Though Liqiu marks the beginning of autumn, it is still hot and humid afterwards. People feel stuffy and sultry. In summer, we may suffer from “bitter summer” or have excess ice cream, which may harm the spleen and stomach. If we eat too much nutritious food, especially  tonics , the “weak” spleen and stomach will have to take more load than they can bear. This may lead to digestive disorder. Therefore, to get more nutrition for early autumn, it is better to have a light diet instead of eating too much rich food .

此时不妨适当多喝点绿豆粥、荷叶粥、红小豆粥、红枣莲子粥、山药粥等食物。对于一些脾胃虚弱、消化不良的朋友而言，此时一定要与滋腻的养阴之品如鹿角胶、阿胶等“划清界限”，否则，非常容易加重食欲不振、消化不良等症状，脾胃虚弱者若适当多喝点具有健脾利湿作用的薏米粥、扁豆粥则对身体大有裨益。

Porridge made of mung bean, lotus leaf, red bean, red date, lotus seed and Chinese yam are recommended. Those with weak spleen and stomach or digestive disorder must stay away from rich food like deer antler glue and donkey-hide gelatin, which may aggravate the loss of appetite and digestive disorder. Porridge made of Job’s tears and lentils are good for spleen and help to remove excess moisture from the body.

为迎接冬季的到来，人体内还会储存御寒的脂肪。因此，热量的摄取大于散发，稍不小心，体重就会增加，所以肥胖者更应注意减肥，应多吃一些低热量的减肥食品，如红豆、萝卜、竹笋、薏米、海带、蘑菇等。此外，对于普通人，立秋后在饮食上要增酸，以增加肝脏的功能，要多吃些苹果、葡萄、山楂、柚子等偏酸、多汁的水果，对高血压、冠心病、糖尿病等疾病都有疗效。

Our body needs to store fat to keep off the cold in winter. Therefore, we take more calories than we consume. Since a slight indulgence may result in weight increase, the overweight should pay attention to lose weight by taking low-calorie food, such as red bean, turnip, bamboo shoots, Job’s tears, kelp, mushroom, etc. Ordinary people need to eat more sour and juicy food like apple, grape, hawthorn and pomelo, which are good for liver and help to treat hypertension, coronary heart disease and diabetes.

四、相关诗词（欢迎读者试译）

诗经 瓠叶

幡幡瓠叶，采之亨之，君子有酒，酌言尝之。

有兔斯首，炮之燔之，君子有酒，酌言献之。

有兔斯首，燔之炙之，君子有酒，酌言酢之。

有兔斯首，燔之炮之，君子有酒，酌言酬之。

早秋客舍

杜牧

           风吹一片叶，万物已惊秋。独夜他乡泪，年年为客愁。

           别离何处尽？摇落几时休？不及磻溪叟，身闲长自由。

立秋日曲江忆元九

白居易

下马柳阴下，独上堤上行。

故人千万里，新蝉三两声。

城中曲江水，江上江陵城。

两地新秋思，应同此日情。