Grain in Beard

鶡鴠, the so-called “cold-calling bird,” ceases to sing during the Major Snow period because the weather has become too cold. Its silence is regarded as a biological sign that severe cold has reached an extreme.

Ancient people believed that although yin qi reaches its greatest strength during Major Snow, what has reached its extreme must begin to decline, and yang qi therefore starts to stir once again. Tigers, sensing this change, begin to seek mates and breed.

荔挺, a type of orchid-like grass, senses the first stirring of yang qi and sends forth new shoots in the depths of winter. It forms a poetic image of life quietly preserved within extreme cold.

The southwest Indian Ocean monsoon erupts fully, bringing sustained heavy rainfall to India, the Indochina Peninsula, and surrounding areas. Rice paddies fill with water, rivers surge, and the rainy season reaches its annual peak.

High temperatures combine with abundant rainfall across tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, driving rice, maize, sugarcane, and other crops into their most vigorous growth period of the year. Farmland becomes lush and full of vitality.

Tropical atmospheric circulation enters a crucial phase of annual adjustment. The Intertropical Convergence Zone begins shifting between the hemispheres, cloud systems become highly active, and weather patterns grow increasingly changeable.