“秋分”是二十四节气之第十六个节气，秋季第四个节气，干支历申月的结束与酉月的起始。斗指己；太阳达黄经180°；于每年的公历9月22-24日交节。秋分这天太阳几乎直射地球赤道，全球各地昼夜等长。秋分，“分”即为“平分”、“半”的意思，除了指昼夜平分外，还有一层意思是平分了秋季。秋分日后，太阳光直射位置南移，北半球昼短夜长，昼夜温差加大，气温逐日下降。秋分曾是传统的“祭月节”，中秋节由秋夕祭月演变而来。“秋分”节气的英文翻译为：Autumn Equinox或：Autumnal Equinox我们来看看如何用英文描述秋分这一节气，学会用英文讲述节气的故事，传播中国文化。The traditional Chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. Qiūfēn (pīnyīn), literally "Autumnal Equinox", is the 16th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 180° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 195°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 180°, which in the Gregorian calendar is around September 23.传统农历将一年划分为24个节气。秋分，拼音为Qiūfēn，英文为Autumnal Equinox，是一年中第15个节气。它始于太阳到达黄经180°，结束于太阳到达黄经195°。它更常指的是太阳正处于黄经180°的日子，在公历中，通常在9月23日左右。Each solar term can be divided into 3 pentads. They are: first pentad, second pentad and last pentad. Pentads in Qiufen include:每个节气可分为三候：初候、次候和末候。秋分的三候为：First pentad初候: 雷始收声
Thunder begins to softenSecond pentad 次候: 蛰虫坯户
Insects make nestsLast pentad 末候: 水始涸
Water begins to solidifyAutumn Equinox lies at the midpoint of autumn, dividing autumn into two equal parts. On this day, the sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west, making day and night equal in length. After that day, the sun crosses over the equator to the Southern Hemisphere, making days shorter and nights longer in the northern hemisphere.秋分点位于秋天的中点，把秋天分成两个相等的部分。在这一天，太阳正好从东方升起，正好从西方落下，使白天和黑夜的长度相等。这天之后，阳光直射的位置向南移动，使得北半球白天变短，夜晚变长。As it is said in the ancient book The Detailed Records of the Spring and Autumn Period, "It is on Autumn Equinox day that the Yin and Yang are in a balance of power. Thus the day and night are of equal length, and so are the cold and hot weather."正如古籍《春秋志》所说：“正是在秋分日，阴阳力量平衡，因此白天和黑夜的长度相等，冷热天气也是如此。”By Autumn Equinox, most of the areas in China have entered the cool autumn. When the cold air heading south meets the declining warm and wet air, precipitation is the result. The temperature also drops frequently.到了秋分，中国大部分地区都进入了凉爽的秋天。当向南的冷空气遇到下降的暖湿空气时，就会产生降水。气温也不断下降。The Autumn Equinox was once a traditional "Moon Festival". In ancient times, there was a saying of "To worship the sun in spring and the moon in autumn". According to research, the original "Moon Festival" was set on the "autumn equinox", but as this day is different every year in the lunar calendar, there may not be a full moon. Therefore, the "Moon Festival" was adjusted from the "autumnal equinox" to 15 August in the lunar calendar.秋分曾是传统的“祭月节”。古有“春祭日，秋祭月”之说。据考证，最初“祭月节”是定在“秋分”这一天，不过由于这一天在农历里的日子每年不同，不一定都有圆月。所以，后来就将“祭月节”由“秋分”调至农历的八月十五。In South China, there is a custom popularly known as "having Qiucai (an autumn vegetable) on the Autumn Equinox day". Qiucai is a kind of wild amaranth. Every Autumn Equinox day, all the villagers go to pick Qiucai in the wild. Qiucai is taken back and made into soup with fish, called "Qiutang" (autumn soup). There is a verse about the soup: "Drink the soup to clear the liver and intestines, thus the whole family will be safe and healthy".中国南方有“秋分吃秋菜”的习俗。秋菜是一种野生苋菜。每年秋分那天，村民们都去野外采秋菜。秋菜采回来和鱼一起做成汤，叫做秋汤。有一句关于这汤的顺口溜：“秋汤灌脏，洗涤肝肠。阖家老少，平安健康。”By Autumn Equinox, olives, pears, apples, papayas, chestnuts, beans, and other plants enter their phase of maturation. It is time to pick and eat them. Crab is also a delicious dish in this season.秋分时，橄榄、梨、苹果、木瓜、栗子、豆子等植物进入成熟期。是时候摘下来吃了。螃蟹也是这个季节的美味佳肴。Autumn Equinox is also the Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival, which is a national festival set up for farmers in 2018.秋分也是中国农民丰收节，是在2018年为农民而设立的一个国家节日。最后我们再来复习一下二十四节气的英文名称：Start of Spring 立春Rain Water 雨水Awakening of Insects 惊蛰Vernal Equinox 春分Clear and Bright 清明Grain Rain 谷雨Start of Summer 立夏Grain Full 小满Grain in Ear 芒种Summer Solstice 夏至Minor Heat 小暑Major Heat 大暑Start of Autumn 立秋Limit of Heat 处暑White Dew 白露Autumnal Equinox 秋分Cold Dew 寒露Frost Descent 霜降Start of Winter 立冬Minor Snow 小雪Major Snow 大雪Winter Solstice 冬至Minor Cold 小寒Major Cold 大寒Now it's your time to open your mouth and practice!张开嘴巴练起来！Have fun learning English!
