二十四节气是中国古代制订的一种用来指导农事的补充历法，已经有2000多年的历史了。由于中国地域很广，二十四节气依据的主要是黄河流域的情况，因此，对于不同地方的农事，节气只是一种参考。

The twenty-four solar terms has a history of over 2,000 years. It was adopted in ancient times to serve as a supplementary calendar for guiding agricultural affairs. Owing to the extremely large territory of China, the formulation of the twenty-four solar terms mainly took account of the climatic conditions of the Yellow River valley. Therefore, the twenty-four solar terms could be used only as a reference for farming of different regions.

　　二十四节气每个相差约半个月，分列在12个月里。立春、立夏、立秋、立冬是四个季节的开始；春分、秋分、夏至、冬至是太阳高度变化的转折点；小暑、大暑、处暑、小寒、大寒，通过名字就能看出冷热的变化；雨水、谷雨、小雪、大雪反映了降水和雨雪的情况；白露、寒露、霜降，生动地反映出大气中水的变化过程；小满、芒种与农作物的生长情况有关；惊蛰一到，天上打雷，地上冬眠的虫子都醒了；到了清明，天气就变得清爽明亮了。

The twenty-four solar terms are evenly arranged into the 12 months of a year, with each term (a climatic period) lasting 15 days or half a month. The Beginning of Spring, the Beginning of Summer, the Beginning of Autumn and the Beginning of Winter usher in the four seasons. The Spring Equinox, the Autumn Equinox, the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice harbinger the turning-points for the changes of the distance of the earth from the sun. Lesser Heat, Greater Heat, the End of Heat, Lesser Cold and Greater Cold pinpoint the undulation of temperature. Rain Water, Grain Rain, Lesser Snow and Greater Snow reveal the phenomena of rainfall and snowfall. White Dew, Cold Dew and Frost’s Descent vividly depict the changes of moisture or water vapor in the atmosphere. Lesser Fullness of Grain and Grain in Beard demonstrate the growing condition of the crops. The Waking of Insects triggers thunders from the sky and awaken dormant insects under the ground. At the approach of Pure Brightness, the weather turns clear and fresh.

　   中国人就是这样，通过节气，与大自然建立了密切的联系。而其中重要的节气，比如清明、冬至等还成为了中国古代的传统节日。

Since ancient times, Chinese people have established, through the twenty-four solar terms, a close relationship with nature. Some solar terms such as the Pure Brightness and Winter Solstice, due to their distinctive significance, have become traditional festivals since ancient times.