Records of Midwinter

吕氏春秋Nanhai Publication Company · ChinaDec 2020

4.1

Word count: 3.7K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

The first says: In the month of midwinter, the sun is in the Dipper, at dusk the Eastern Wall is culminating, at dawn the Chariot Platform is culminating. Its days are ren and gui, its emperor is Zhuanxu, its spirit is Xuanming, its creature is the shelled, its tone is yu, its pitch-pipe is the Yellow Bell. Its number is six, its flavor is salty, its smell is musty, its sacrifice is to the traveler, and the offering is made first to the kidneys. Ice grows stronger, the earth begins to crack, the heather bird does not sing, tigers begin to mate. The Son of Heaven dwells in the Xuan Tang Great Temple, rides a black chariot, drives iron-black horses, carries a black banner, wears black robes, wears black jade, eats millet and pork, and his vessels are broad and deep. He commands the officials, saying: "Do no earthworks, do not open storehouses, do not raise large levies of people, so as to solidify and close." If storehouses are opened and large levies raised, the earth's qi will leak, and this is called opening the chamber of Heaven and Earth. Then the hibernating creatures will die, the people will suffer many illnesses and epidemics, and death will follow. This is called the "month of smoothness."

Editor's review

"仲冬纪" (The Midwinter Record) is one of the twelve records in Lüshi Chunqiu. This piece takes the midwinter season as its framework, matching astronomical phenomena, the Five Elements, emperors and spirits, pitch pipes, numbers, flavors, sacrificial directions, and the Son of Heaven's dwelling, clothing, and food one by one, constructing a complete seasonal order. Its value lies not in narrative but in showing how pre-Qin people used yin-yang and the Five Elements to govern nature and human affairs: ice strengthens and the earth cracks, the heather bird does not sing, tigers begin to mate—phenomena are recorded precisely; the command to officials that "do no earthworks, do not open storehouses" turns the season into concrete administrative prohibitions. Readers can see the implementation of the idea of "Heaven and humanity responding to each other" at the institutional level, and can also appreciate the composite character of ancient monthly-ordinance texts, which combine calendrics, ritual institutions, and ecological ethics. This edition is an offprint of a single piece, short in length, suitable as a sample for approaching Lüshi Chunqiu, and also suitable for reading alongside the "Yue Ling" chapter of the Book of Rites to observe how the same seasonal system is expressed differently in different texts. When reading, it is best to slow down and compare annotations sentence by sentence, so as to appreciate the density of its organization and the depth of its intent.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Historical and cultural readers interested in pre-Qin thought and the monthly-ordinance system
Teachers and students who need a single text from Lüshi Chunqiu for classroom reading
Beginners studying ancient astronomy, calendrics, and seasonal prohibitions
Readers who enjoy close reading of short pieces and are willing to compare annotations sentence by sentence

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers expecting a coherent story or character plot
Beginners lacking a foundation in classical Chinese and unwilling to consult annotations
Readers hoping to read through the entirety of Lüshi Chunqiu in one volume

Reading tips

First read through once without seeking full understanding, then compare annotations sentence by sentence to sort out the three threads of astronomy, the Five Elements, and administrative orders.
Read alongside the midwinter section of the "Yue Ling" chapter of the Book of Rites, noting differences in wording and entries between the two texts.
Copy out prohibitions such as "do no earthworks" and "do not open storehouses," and consider how the season is translated into concrete administrative constraints.

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
仲冬纪第十一
仲冬
至忠
忠廉
当务
长见

FAQ

What is the main content of this "Midwinter Record"?

It records the midwinter month's astronomical phenomena, day stems, emperors and spirits, creatures and tones, pitch pipes and numbers, flavors and smells, sacrifices, and the Son of Heaven's dwelling, clothing, and food, and from these derives administrative prohibitions such as "do no earthworks" and "do not open storehouses." Its core is to present a monthly-ordinance system in which the season governs nature and human affairs.

Can I read it without a foundation in classical Chinese?

The original text is dense, involving technical names such as lunar mansions, pitch-pipe names, and sacrifice names; without any foundation in classical Chinese it will be quite difficult. It is advisable to choose an edition with detailed annotations, first use the annotations to understand the literal meaning, then grasp the overall organization; there is no need to understand it all at once.

Why is earthworks and raising large levies prohibited in midwinter?

The text holds that in midwinter the earth's qi is closed and stored; if storehouses are opened and large levies raised, the earth's qi will leak, which is called "opening the chamber of Heaven and Earth," causing hibernating creatures to die and people to suffer many illnesses and epidemics. This is a typical statement linking natural rhythms with human prohibitions.

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About the author

吕氏春秋 Author

Lüshi Chunqiu is not a single author but a work compiled under the direction of Lü Buwei, the chancellor of Qin in the late Warring States period, and it is commonly cited under the name "Lüshi Chunqiu." Publicly available information about the individual compiler's life is limited, and no exact dates of birth or death or nationality are recorded. The book is broad in scope, gathering materials from the various schools of pre-Qin thought and covering subjects such as astronomy, calendars, ritual institutions, politics, and ethics. The works listed in the catalog, such as the Annals of Midsummer, Early Summer, Early Spring, Midsummer, Early Winter, Late Spring, Late Autumn, and the Discourses of the Opening of Spring, are chapters arranged by season and month, reflecting a style organized around the seasons and integrating the doctrines of the Hundred Schools. The book is often mentioned in cultural and Eastern philosophy categories and is an important source for understanding pre-Qin thought and the concept of monthly ordinances.