Why is there no Daman after Xiaoman? What does the "man" in Xiaoman mean?

Everyone knows that Xiaoman is one of the 24 solar terms. Many people may be curious why there are Dashu and Dahan but no Daman. Open the following content and you will find the answer you want. This is just one aspect. What are the three new things in Xiaoman? Do you know what they are?

Contents of this article

1. Why is there no Daman after Xiaoman?

2. What does "Man" in "Xiao Man" mean?

3. What are the three new things that Xiaoman sees?

Why is there no Daman after Xiaoman?

Among the 24 solar terms, if there is Lesser Heat, there is Greater Heat corresponding to it, and if there is Lesser Cold, there is Greater Cold. However, there is Lesser Full, but there is no Greater Full. Wang Juan, an expert in folklore, explained that Greater Cold and Lesser Cold, Greater Heat and Lesser Heat are both in extremely cold and extremely hot periods. Since the cold and heat last for a long time, they are equivalent to two solar terms, and people are just in hibernation and summer vacation, so there are not many activities, so they are divided into two connected solar terms. "But during the spring planting and autumn harvest period, the farming is busy and there are many things to do. The characteristics of the solar terms themselves are distinct, so there is no need to name two connected solar terms of different sizes." Wang Juan said.

What does "Man" in "Xiao Man" mean?

One is that in the northern regions, the grains of summer crops such as wheat have begun to become full but not yet mature, which is equivalent to the late milky stage, so it is called "Xiaoman". Farmers' anticipation and joy for a good harvest also gradually become full and plump as the ears of grain and rice begin to draw pulp.

Second, the abundance or scarcity of rainwater indicates that the fields should be filled with water during Grain in Ear, otherwise the fields may dry up and crack, and rice may not be planted during Grain in Ear, affecting the harvest of crops. In the Jiangnan area, there is a saying that "Three Wheels Move During Grain in Ear". The so-called "Three Wheels" are waterwheels, spinning wheels, and oil wheels. In years of drought, people would consider it early and make clever arrangements to use human or animal power to drive waterwheels to irrigate paddy fields.

What are the three new things in Xiaoman?

Everyone knows that Xiaoman is one of the 24 solar terms. The three new things refer to the three crops that are about to mature during the Xiaoman season. In some places, they refer to the three crops that are suitable for eating during the Xiaoman season.

Generally speaking, the three new things refer to the three crops that are about to mature during the Grain Full season, namely: garlic, peas, and wheat. Why these three? I have experience with this. When I was young, the countryside was relatively poor. Let alone eating well, it was good enough to be full. Especially in spring, the most lacking thing in every family is vegetables. At that time, rural families could not go to the store to buy vegetables (unless there were important guests or some happy events). The farm vegetables they planted had not yet grown, and they ate pickled pickles every day (now you want to vomit when you see pickled pickles?). It was not until April every year that we could eat fried garlic sprouts or boiled green peas, which was considered an improvement in life. These three crops are the most common in our area during the Grain Full season, and they are also what people can temporarily use as food before they are about to mature.