''Jīngzhé'' () is the 3rd of the 24

solar term A solar term (or ''jiéqì'', zh, t=節氣, s=节气) is any of twenty-four periods in traditional Chinese lunisolar calendars that matches a particular astronomical event or signifies some natural phenomenon. The points are spaced 15° apart ...

s (節氣) in the traditional Chinese calendars. It begins when the Sun reaches the

celestial longitude In astronomy, coordinate systems are used for specifying positions of celestial objects (satellites, planets, stars, galaxies, etc.) relative to a given reference frame, based on physical reference points available to a situated observer (e.g. ...

of 345° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 360°. More often, it refers to the day when the Sun is exactly at a celestial longitude of 345°. In the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

, it usually begins around March 5 and ends around March 20. The word 驚蟄 means the awakening of

hibernating Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is most ...

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s. 驚 is ''to startle'' and 蟄 means ''hibernating insects.'' Traditional Chinese folklore says that during Jingzhe,

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...

s will wake up the hibernating insects, which implies that the weather is getting warmer.

Pentads

Each solar term can be divided into 3 pentads (候). They are the first pentad (初候), the second pentad (次候), and the third pentad (末候): Pentads in Jingzhe are ; China * First pentad: (

pīnyīn Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: Táo shǐ huá), 'The

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

es begin to blossom'. * Second pentad: (

: Cāng gēng míng), 'Orioles sing clearly'. * Last pentad: (

: Yīng huà wéi jiū), 'Eagles are transformed into doves'. ; Japan * First pentad: (

Romanisation In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

: Chitchū kei to), 'Awakening of hibernating insects'. * Second pentad: (

: Momo Hajime Emi), 'Peach trees start to bloom (smile)'. * Last pentad: (

: Na mushi-ka chō), 'Caterpillars become butterflies'.

Date and time

Cultural references

Lim Giong Lim Giong (; born 7 June 1964) is a Taiwanese musician, DJ, actor, and an active figure in the Taiwanese experimental electronic music scene. He is known for recording rock songs in Taiwanese Hokkien, starting with his first hit song "Marching ...

has a 2005 album titled ''Insects Awaken''.

Jingzhe (film) ''Jingzhe'' is a 2004 in film, 2004 Cinema of China, Chinese film Film director, directed by Wang Quan'an. The film is Wang's second feature and sees him reuniting with actress Yu Nan. ''Jingzhe'' is also known by its original international title, ...

is a 2004 Chinese film directed by

Wang Quan'an Wang Quan'an () (b. 1965) is a Cinema of China, Sixth Generation China, Chinese film director. Wang was born in Yan'an, China. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 1991. He had a ten-year relationship with actress and muse Yu Nan, which e ...

References

{{Insects in culture 03 Spring (season)

Pentads

Date and time

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Cultural references

References