It feels pretty warm, although there are some strong spring wind action that can only make us wear long sleeves or a light coat. It feels hot as summer sometimes though, so why is it that i can't bust out the tanks and shorts with my j.crew flip flops? Well, I did take out my flip flops yesterday. But went back to sneakers. And it was very important that we all do. Here is why.
Honestly, this graph should be flipped over, so that the Spring Equinox is on the bottom and the Autumnal Equinox is on top, but this was the only one i can find so it'll have to do.
According to the astrological calendar, spring has been here since February 4 since spring officially is from the second month's li chun (立春) till the fourth month's gu yu (谷雨). To understand this, let's take a quick look at the 24 Jie Qi Calendar, which in English is apparently called the 24 Solar Terms. We'll just call it "24 Jie Qi":
二十四节气表 (24 Jie Qi Calendar)
春 (spring) | 立春 (Start of Spring) 2月3—5日 | 雨水 (Spring Rain) 2月18--20日 | 惊蛰 (Hibernation Awakening) 3月5--7日 |
| 春分 (Spring Equinox) 3月20--22日 | 清明 (Pure Brightness) 4月4--6日 | 谷雨 (Grain Rain) 4月19--21日 | |
夏 (summer) | 立夏 (Start of Summer) 5月5--7日 | 小满 (Lesser Fullness of Grain) 5月20--22日 | 芒种 (Grain in Beard) 6月5--7日 |
| 夏至 (Summer Solstice) 6月21--22日 | 小暑 (Slight Heat) 7月6--8日 | 大暑 (Greater Heat) 7月22日--24日 | |
秋 (autumn) | 立秋 (Start of Autumn) 8月7--9日 | 处暑 (End of Heat) 8月22--24日 | 白露 (White Dew) 9月7--9日 |
| 秋分 (Autumnal Equinox) 9月22--24日 | 寒露 (Cold Dew) 10月8--9日 | 霜降 (Frost's Descent) 10月23--24日 | |
冬 季 (winter) | 立冬 (Start of Winter) 11月7--8日 | 小雪 (Slight Snow) 11月22--23日 | 大雪 (Greater Snow) 12月6--8日 |
| 冬至 (Winter Solstice) 12月21--23日 | 小寒 (Slight Cold) 1月5--7日 | 大寒 (Greater Cold) 1月20--21日 |
In dictionaries, it says that spring is the months of march, april, and may, why?
Here's a concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) that can be applied to this. Everything divides into yin 阴 and yang 阳 in the world of TCM. However, within yin, there it again divides into yin and yang, and the same goes with yang. It's like how men are yang, and women are yin. But scientifically, men also have estrogen, right? The same goes with women. They have testosterone in the midst of their estrogen. That is why when we see a girl who's tomboy-ish, or a boy who's kinda girly, we say oh, he/she probably has a bit more testosterone/estrogen biologically. Thus every man is yang but has yin in him, and vice versa.
So in the same way, we have cold 寒 and hot 热. Winter is considered to be solidly cold, and summer is solidly hot. However, when it comes to spring and autumn, what do we say? Spring is considered warm, and autumn slightly chilly. Why not the other way around? Because spring is coming from winter, where it's cold, and entering summer, where it's hot. Thus, we would naturally say it is getting "warmer" when we notice the temperature change. Whereas in, autumn we are slowly departing the summer heat and entering the cold. So we say it's getting chillier.
So what are the solid points where we can divide the four seasons? Take a look at this graph:
Honestly, this graph should be flipped over, so that the Spring Equinox is on the bottom and the Autumnal Equinox is on top, but this was the only one i can find so it'll have to do. So the four points that signify the most north, south, east, and west are the four points where it is the most seasonly of seasons.
春分(Spring Equinox)
夏至(Summer Solstice)
秋分(Autumnal Equinox)
冬至(Winter Solstice)
So what about everything in between?
Basically, you can view those four points to be the thickest and as spring is going closer down to summer, the spring thins out but at the same time, summer is getting thicker and when it reaches Summer Solstice, the last 1mm of spring is gone and summer is in full swing. And this continues on.
Which is why, it is sometimes hard to distinguish seasons clearly. I mean, according to this, spring is suppose to have start around 2/3-5, but does it feel like spring during that time? Hardly. It is so cold and we are most likely to think that it is still hard on winter. In other words, winter is still there, but it is going from thick to mild, thus thinning down and at the same time, spring is still thin, but it is ready to get thicker.
The weather these days are so warm one day but colder other days. I guess this is more with the global warming situation than regular nature. But either way, the biggest thing i noticed is that no matter how warm or cold outside is, inside the apt feels quite cold. Especially the ground.
So as I was wearing my flip flops yesterday, although i felt perfectly fine, i couldn't help but to notice these days that especially in the apt, my feet are so cold. For awhile, i thought, has my health gone bad again? Because i had cold feet and hands for the longest time (many years) and it is not until a year and a half ago that i finally fixed this problem (along with other symptoms) after finding the right master and herbal prescription, but most importantly, the persistence and patience to continue and endure with the healing process.
Then yesterday my acupuncture teacher commented on my shoes, saying, you know, no matter how warm it feels outside, because it is still spring, the weather may seem warmer but the ground is still frozen, if not slowly thawing out. So amidst the warm air circulating due to the newly sprouting 生发 energy, coldness is still coming up from the earth. "Evil qi(邪气) enters through the feet," you know. Go home and wear socks and shoes!
This answered my question. Maybe if i had enough yuan qi (元气: source of energy of your body) i would still be able to have warm feet despite my sandals? Well, no. That's like saying i'll have warm feet in the middle of winter even without protecting it with socks and shoes. We can't defy nature.
Many people, especially lot of westerners, do not realize how important it is to protect one's feet from the cold. I see caucasians running around in flip flops too early, too soon all the time. Look around yourself in Beijing. The local Chinese for the most part aren't foolish like us. They, actually having TCM deeply embedded in their culture while growing up, know about this. They are still wearing sneakers and socks.
So after being "reprimanded," i wore my flip flops for one more day, to be honest. I just couldn't resist. But never a good reason. Especially because after keeping it out like that and then wearing shorts inside the apt, today i immediately had diarrhea. That is a side effect that occurs quite often when i don't keep my lower limbs warm. However, after receiving this "warning" i immediately wore long pants and socks inside the apt, and i felt my feet warming up and no more diarrhea. Interesting, eh?
So yes, I immediately regretted and wore my boring sneakers out again. I hate wearing socks! And there's a good reason why this is so, which is another medical concept i'll explain later again.
Anyway, so until it is officially summer, which is around May 5-7 (立夏 Start of Summer), try to keep those feet bound with shoes and socks that don't show skin. You won't feel it now, but you'll thank me like 10-20 years later. Especially girls who keep their lower limbs cold all the time with short skirts and no socks in the winter and spring may experience infertility, joint pains, bad PMS, cramps, and indigestion, just to name a few, due to the coldness that crept up from their feet. It is a serious business.
So that is the first lesson of this blog.
Prevent cold feet and legs, and although your life may be slightly less stylish for girls in this early spring, it will be well worth it later when you are old and pain-free.
