As we all know, rain, snow, dew, frost, hail, hail are all forms of precipitation. But it is also precipitation, but among them, only snow "has its own exclusive favor" and "collects thousands of favors in one", which is praised and chanted by countless literati and people; but rain, dew, frost, hail, hail cannot enjoy this treatment.
Why did the ancient Chinese like snow so much? Why was snow most favored by the ancients?
There are two reasons: one is that the appearance of snow is high (even ❄ the symbols are hexagonal, especially beautiful), like flowers and jade; second, snow is rich in nutrition and has a large role.
It is said that "everyone has the heart to love beauty", precisely because the appearance of snow is high, so in the eyes of the ancients, snow has always been a symbol of high cold, purity and elegance.
So, to what extent did the ancients like snow?
Shi Yu once wrote an article about the "elegant name" of snowflakes - "Circle of Friends Brush Screen!" The first snow in Beijing is coming as promised, do you know what are the "elegant names" of snowflakes? 》。
Screenshot of the work
In this article, Shi Yan collected and sorted out more than 40 kinds of "elegant names" that the ancients gave to snowflakes (the friends in the comment area all shouted knowledge, and also admired the romantic feelings of the ancients), each of which was very beautiful, such as: Jade Princess, Han Ying, Qiongfang, Liu out, Jade Butterfly, Pear Blossom, Cold Crisp, and so on.
Screenshot of some of the comments
Moreover, snow is also the highest "fame rate" of the festival, many people have a snow word in their names!
In summary, the ancients' love for snow can be seen from this.
After talking about the appearance, let's talk about why snow is "nutritious and has a big effect"!
According to professionals, every 1,000 grams of snow water contains 7.5 grams of nitride (about five times that of ordinary rainwater), so the next snow is equivalent to applying nitrogen fertilizer once. And the snow will slowly melt and slowly penetrate, and its moisturizing effect is more gentle and durable.
Ancient China was a typical agricultural society, and land and crops were the two most important things for the Chinese ancients besides eating! Since snow is so nutritious and has such a great effect, how could the ancients not like it?
Although the ancients were limited to backward technology and could not know how much fertilizer was contained in the snow water, our ancients were the best at observing and summarizing.
In the long-term production practice, the wise and intelligent ancients have long realized the role of snow. There are many proverbs to prove it:
1. Ruixue Mega Year
This is one of the most widely circulated and well-known proverbs about the benefits of snow, and the meaning is very simple, so I will not repeat it too much. Just to add, the word "Ruixue" reflects that in the eyes of the ancients, snow was more auspicious and abundant than other weather phenomena.
2. Heavy snow is half melted and one ice, and the insect pest will be swept away next year
The snow that has not yet melted is equivalent to covering the wintering crops with a quilt. At this time, if the weather cools down, the snow will freeze. The insects underground will be frozen alive, and there will be a good harvest in the following year's crops.
3. This year the wheat cover is covered with three layers, and the next year sleeps on the pillow steamed buns
For winter wheat, snow is first covered, then water, and then fertilizer, that is, "three layers of quilt". "This year the wheat cover three layers of quilts, the next year pillow steamed bun sleep", this is the value of winter snow.
Similar to "this year's wheat cover three-layer quilt, next year's pillow steamed bun sleeps" there is also "this winter wheat cover a foot quilt, next year's steamed buns like a mountain pile".
4. Snow sister for a long time, next year's good valley harvest
Calling snow "Snow Sister", it can be seen that the ancients felt very kind to snow. The reason behind this, of course, is that snow can bring a good harvest to the croppers.
5. The snow is not frozen, and the wheat is white
Snow is so important that the ancients' hope for snow is no less than that of us today! However, the ancients hoped for snow to have a good harvest for the crops, and we hoped for snow to have a snowball fight and see the snow scene.
6. Winter snow eliminates four-sided grass, and there are more fertilizers and fewer pests in the coming year
This is a proverb in the Jiangsu area. It is somewhat similar to "heavy snow half melts and one ice, and next year the insect pest is swept away", which emphasizes the role of snow - freezing to death pests, but with an additional layer of meaning - fat. Where does the fat come from? Because the grass on all four sides is also frozen to death, it becomes a natural fertilizer after a long time.
7. This year's snow and water are big, and next year's wheat is good
This is a proverb in the Gansu region. Gansu is relatively short of water, snow water is one of the most important sources of irrigation, so winter snow is of great significance to crops in Gansu: more snow water means that the water source is sufficient, the wheat can be fully nourished, and the growth trend will naturally be good.
8. Snow piles up ponds, next year the grain is full of warehouses
This sentence is actually similar to the meaning of "this year's wheat cover is covered by three layers, and next year's pillow is sleeping with steamed buns", "Snow sister stays for a long time, and next year's good valley harvest" means much the same. This shows that winter snow does have more advantages than disadvantages to the growth of crops (except for snow disasters).
9. Winter snow is a treasure, and spring snow is a root grass
This is a proverb from Jiangsu, Shanxi, Guangdong and Guizhou, which fully illustrates the importance of winter snow. In contrast, spring snow is not so good, because spring snow is not good for the growth of crops. Therefore, the people have a more direct statement - laxue is a treasure, spring snow is not good.
10. Winter is full of snow, and the coming year is a good year
This is a proverb in Guangdong, and the meaning is simple and clear, which is similar to "Ruixue Mega Year".
In addition to these proverbs, the earliest surviving Chinese agricultural monograph, the Book of Victory, has also repeatedly emphasized the special value of winter snow: "Winter rain and snow stop. Cover the snow and don't let the wind fly away. After the snow is restored, then the spring is protected, the frozen insects die, and the next year is suitable for crops. "When the winter rain and snow stop, cover the snow with the grain, and do not let it fly away from the wind." After the snow returns like this, the wheat is drought-tolerant and fruitful. ”
Seeing this, do you really understand why the ancients liked snow so much? Then share it with your friends and let them grow up!