“春雨惊春清谷天，夏满芒夏暑相连。秋处露秋寒霜降，冬雪雪冬小大寒。”这首耳熟能详的节气歌，不仅是古人对自然节律的精准总结，更承载着中华民族对天地万物的深刻洞察与顺应天时的生存智慧。而将这份千年智慧融入日常起居、防病养生的，正是华夏文明的瑰宝——中医药学。作为一名中医人，周荣素深感二十四节气与中医“天人相应”理论的同源共生，今撰此文，与诸君共赏节气流转中的岐黄之美。
一、节气溯源：观天测影，道法自然
二十四节气，是中华民族通过观察太阳周年运动而形成的时间知识体系及其实践，早在西汉《淮南子·天文训》中便有完整记载。古人观北斗之斗柄、测日影之长短，以五日为候，三候为气，六气为时，四时为岁，将一年的时空流转细化为二十四节点。每个节气都是天地阴阳交变的节点，如冬至“一阳生”、夏至“一阴生”，人体气血亦随之波动，需同步调节。
中医“天人相应”观认为，人体并非独立于自然的个体，而是与天地环境息息相关的有机整体。二十四节气的寒温交替、阴阳消长，直接影响着人体的气血运行、脏腑功能与情志变化。这一思想在《黄帝内经·素问·四气调神大论》中已有深刻阐发：“春三月，此谓发陈……夏三月，此谓蕃秀……秋三月，此谓容平……冬三月，此谓闭藏”，将四时养生之法娓娓道来。明代张景岳在《类经》中进一步提出“春应肝而养生，夏应心而养长，秋应肺而养收，冬应肾而养藏”，揭示了五脏功能随节气轮转的规律。节气，实则是中医“治未病”思想的时间坐标。
二、节气民俗与药膳：食饮有节，五味调和
节气民俗，是祖先在千百年的生产实践中创造的文化遗产，其中蕴含着丰富的饮食养生智慧。依循“药食同源”之理，节气药膳成为中医顺时养生最生动的体现。
立春咬春，疏肝助阳。 立春为二十四节气之首，寓意春天的开始。民间素有啃萝卜的“咬春”习俗，在中医看来，春季人体阳气升发，应多吃辛甘发散之物，萝卜恰好满足这一需求，兼具消食宽中化积、健脾润肺化痰之功。此时节养生核心为“疏肝理气、升发阳气”，饮食宜“增辛减酸”，适量食用韭菜、葱、香菜等辛散食物，减少山楂、乌梅等酸收之物。
清明谷雨，春芽养肝。 清明时节，万物皆显。此时养生仍须遵循“春三月”大法，情志舒畅尤为关键，肝喜条达而恶抑郁，春游踏青、畅怀会友，皆有益于肝脏疏泄。谷雨是春季的尾声，“雨生百谷”，槐花飘香。槐花性苦、微寒，凉血止血、清肝泻火，著名的“槐花散”中槐花便是君药。北方民间有谷雨食蒸槐花、蒸榆钱的习俗，榆钱谐音“余钱”，嵇康《养生论》亦载“榆令人瞑”，食之令人愉悦。香椿芽更是“雨前香椿嫩如丝”，疏肝理气、醒脾开胃，堪称时令春菜之冠。
小暑大暑，冬病夏治。 暑季湿热交蒸，人体阳气外浮，内里相对虚寒，长期贪凉饮冷易伤脾胃阳气。中医抓住这一时机开展“冬病夏治”，针对冬季易发作的虚寒性疾病，如慢阻肺、老寒腿、痛经等，利用夏季阳气旺盛之特点进行调理，三伏贴、艾灸、姜枣茶皆为良法，往往事半功倍。四神汤（山药、茯苓、芡实、莲子）正是夏季祛湿健脾的经典药膳，相传源自清代随帝南巡的医案，后世口口相传成为家常养生汤品。
霜降贴膘，养收以待藏。 民间有云“一年补透透，不如补霜降”。北方吃涮羊肉、南方食柿子，皆以温养肺胃、润燥防寒为要。《月令七十二候集解》曰：“九月中，气肃而凝，露结为霜矣”，霜降三候——豺祭兽、草木黄落、蛰虫咸俯，勾勒出万物收藏的画面。此时养生应顺应天时，防燥、防寒、防郁，着重调脾胃、调肺气、调肝肾，为安稳过冬奠定根基。
三、节气导引与非遗传承：动静相兼，薪火相传
节气养生不仅在于饮食起居，更在于形神共养。二十四节气中医导引养生法，是中医顺时养生的独特瑰宝，其雏形在宋代已现端倪，最早完整记载于明代铁峰居士所撰《保生心鉴》。这套导引以坐式为主，结合吐纳、叩齿、咽津等调适手段，舒展筋骨、行气活血、调和阴阳，每个节气对应一组动作，讲求“按时行功，分经治病；人境合一，天人相应”。
2021年6月，“二十四节气中医导引养生法”入选国家级非物质文化遗产代表性项目名录。非遗传承人代金刚等人潜心挖掘整理，借助红外热成像、智能脉诊仪等现代科技手段阐释其科学内涵，并致力于海内外传播，让这一千年智慧重焕光彩。与此同时，二十四节气本身也于2016年被列入联合国教科文组织人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录。湖南安仁的“赶分社”作为二十四节气的“活化石”，春分时节祭祀神农、交易药材、开耕启犁，千年药香穿越时空，成为农耕文明与中医药文化交融的生动见证。
四、天人合一，生生不息
二十四节气是华夏祖先历经千百年生产实践创造的文化遗产，是中华民族对自然规律深刻认知的结晶。而中医正是将这一时间智慧运用于人体健康的伟大创造，从《黄帝内经》的时令理论到张景岳的五脏应时论，从节气导引到药膳食疗，无不彰显着“天人合一”的东方哲学与“治未病”的医学精髓。
清人章楠在《灵素节注类编》中总结道：“春夏养阳，秋冬养阴，以顺天地生长化收藏之气也”。节气流转，生生不息；岐黄之道，与天地同运。愿吾辈中医人以传承为使命，以守正创新为担当，让千年中医文化在节气轮转中生生不息，在时代浪潮中历久弥新，护佑中华民族生生世世的健康与安宁。
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms and Millennial Chinese Medicine: Living in Harmony with Heaven
“Start of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright, Grain Rain;
Start of Summer, Grain Full, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, Major Heat;
Start of Autumn, End of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, Frost Descent;
Start of Winter, Minor Snow, Major Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold, Major Cold.”
This well-known solar term song is not only an accurate summary of nature’s rhythms by ancient Chinese farmers, but also carries the profound wisdom of observing heaven and earth and living in harmony with the seasons. Deeply interwoven with this wisdom is traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)—a treasure of Chinese civilization that integrates seasonal changes into daily life, health preservation, and disease prevention. As a practitioner of TCM, I have long felt the shared origin and mutual resonance between the twenty-four solar terms and the TCM principle of “correspondence between heaven and humanity.” I now invite you to journey with me through the flow of solar terms and discover the beauty of Chinese medicine.
I. Origins of the Solar Terms: Observing Heaven, Measuring Shadows, Following the Dao
The twenty-four solar terms are a knowledge system and practice developed by the Chinese people through observing the sun’s annual motion. They were fully recorded as early as the Western Han dynasty in the Huainanzi. Ancient Chinese observed the handle of the Big Dipper and measured the length of the sun’s shadow, dividing the year into twenty-four nodes: five days constitute a hou (候), three hou a qi (气, solar term), six qi a season, and four seasons a year. Each solar term marks a key moment of yin-yang change in the heavens and earth. For example, the Winter Solstice is when “yang energy begins to rise,” and the Summer Solstice when “yin energy begins to rise.” The flow of qi and blood in the human body fluctuates accordingly, requiring corresponding adjustments.
The TCM view of “correspondence between heaven and humanity” holds that the human body is not an isolated entity but an organic whole intimately connected to the natural environment. The alternating cold and heat, waxing and waning of yin and yang across the solar terms directly affect the flow of qi and blood, the functions of the internal organs, and even emotional states. This idea was already profoundly articulated in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon – Plain Questions in its chapter Discourse on Regulating the Spirit in Accord with the Four Seasons: “Spring three months – this is the time of ‘opening and transforming’… Summer three months – this is the time of ‘luxuriant growth’… Autumn three months – this is the time of ‘peace and harvest’… Winter three months – this is the time of ‘closure and storage’.” Later, Zhang Jingyue (Zhang Jiebin) of the Ming dynasty further advanced this in his Classified Canon, stating: “In spring, respond to the liver and nourish life; in summer, respond to the heart and nourish growth; in autumn, respond to the lung and nourish harvest; in winter, respond to the kidney and nourish storage.” These words reveal how the functions of the five viscera rotate in sync with the solar terms. In essence, the solar terms serve as a temporal framework for the TCM principle of “preventive treatment of disease.”
II. Folk Customs and Medicinal Diets: Eating and Drinking in Measure, Harmonizing the Five Flavors
Folk customs surrounding the solar terms are cultural treasures born from millennia of practice by our ancestors, rich in dietary health wisdom. Following the principle that “medicine and food share the same origin,” solar-term medicinal diets are a vivid expression of TCM’s seasonal health preservation.
Start of Spring – “Biting the Spring” to soothe the liver and support yang.
The Start of Spring marks the beginning of the solar year. A popular custom is “biting the spring,” which involves eating raw radish. From a TCM perspective, in spring the body’s yang energy rises, so it is beneficial to eat foods that are pungent and sweet, and have dispersing properties. Radish fits the bill perfectly—it also helps digestion, resolves phlegm, moistens the lungs, and strengthens the spleen. The core of spring health preservation is “soothing the liver and regulating qi, raising yang qi.” The diet should emphasize pungent and warm foods (e.g., leeks, scallions, cilantro) while reducing sour foods (e.g., hawthorn, plum) which are astringent.
Clear and Bright & Grain Rain – spring sprouts nourish the liver.
At Clear and Bright, all things become fully visible. At this time, it is especially important to keep emotions smooth and cheerful. The liver likes free flow and dislikes depression, so spring outings and heartfelt social gatherings help the liver perform its function of smooth flow. Grain Rain, the last solar term of spring, means “rain gives life to a hundred grains.” At this time, locust flowers bloom. In TCM, locust flower is slightly bitter and cold, cooling blood to stop bleeding and clearing liver fire to brighten the eyes. The famous formula “Locust Flower Powder” uses it as the sovereign herb. In northern China, there is a custom of steaming locust flowers or elm seeds (often homophonous with “surplus money” as an auspicious symbol). According to Ji Kang’s Discourse on Nourishing Life, “elm seeds make one calm.” Toon shoots are another seasonal delicacy: “Before Grain Rain, toon shoots are tender as silk.” They soothe the liver, regulate qi, and awaken the spleen—truly the crown of spring vegetables.
Minor Heat & Major Heat – treating winter diseases in summer.
In the hot, damp days of summer, yang qi floats outward while the interior of the body is relatively deficient and cold. Prolonged indulgence in cold food and air conditioning can injure the yang qi of the spleen and stomach. TCM takes this opportunity to practice “treating winter diseases in summer.” For deficiency-cold conditions that tend to flare up in winter, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic painful joints, or dysmenorrhea, TCM treatments applied in summer when yang qi is strong can yield twice the result with half the effort. Common therapies include sanfu patches, moxibustion, and ginger-jujube tea. The Four-Gods Soup (yam, poria, water plantain seed, lotus seed) is a classic medicinal diet for dispelling dampness and strengthening the spleen in summer. Legend has it that the recipe originated from a medical case accompanying an emperor on a southern tour during the Qing dynasty; passed down by word of mouth, it became a common home health soup.
Frost Descent – “putting on autumn fat” to nourish harvest and prepare for storage.
A folk saying goes: “A thousand days of tonification is not as good as one tonification at Frost Descent.” In the north, people eat hot pot with lamb; in the south, persimmons. Both aim to warm the lungs and stomach, moisten dryness, and guard against cold. According to Collected Explanations of the Seventy-two Solar Term Phenomena: “In the ninth lunar month, the qi becomes solemn and condenses; dew freezes into frost.” The three pentads of Frost Descent—sacrifice of beasts by jackals, yellowing and falling of grass and trees, and hibernating insects all hiding—paint a picture of universal storage. Health preservation at this time should follow nature: prevent dryness, prevent cold, prevent depression; focus on regulating the spleen and stomach, the lungs, and the liver and kidneys, laying a solid foundation for a peaceful winter.
III. Solar-Term Daoyin and Intangible Cultural Heritage: Combining Movement and Stillness, Passing the Torch
Seasonal health preservation is not only about diet and daily life; it also involves nurturing both body and mind. The “Twenty-Four Solar Terms TCM Daoyin Health Preservation Method” is a unique gem of TCM seasonal care. Its earliest rudiments appeared in the Song dynasty, and the first complete record is found in Preserving the Heart and Reflecting on Life by Tiefeng Jushi of the Ming dynasty. This set of daoyin exercises is mainly performed seated, combined with breathing techniques, tooth tapping, and saliva swallowing, to stretch the sinews, activate blood and qi, and harmonize yin and yang. Each solar term has its own set of movements, emphasizing “practicing at the right time, treating meridians accordingly; integrating with the environment, uniting heaven and self.”
In June 2021, the “Twenty-Four Solar Terms TCM Daoyin Health Preservation Method” was inscribed on the national list of intangible cultural heritage of China. Contemporary inheritors such as Dai Jingang have meticulously studied and revived the method, using modern technologies like infrared thermal imaging and intelligent pulse diagnostic devices to explain its scientific basis. They also actively promote it both at home and abroad, bringing this thousand-year wisdom back to life. Meanwhile, the twenty-four solar terms themselves were inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. Another living fossil is the “Spring Commune Gathering” (Gan Fen She) in Anren County, Hunan Province. Around the Spring Equinox, local people worship Shennong (the Divine Farmer), trade medicinal herbs, and plow the fields to begin the agricultural year. The thousand-year aroma of herbs crosses time, bearing witness to the fusion of farming culture and Chinese medicine.
IV. Harmony Between Heaven and Humanity: The Cycle of Life
The twenty-four solar terms are a cultural treasure created by our Chinese ancestors through centuries of production and practice, a crystallization of their deep understanding of natural patterns. Chinese medicine is the grand creation that applies this temporal wisdom to human health. From the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon to Zhang Jingyue’s theory of five viscera and seasons, from solar-term daoyin to medicinal diets, all manifest the Eastern philosophy of “unity of heaven and humanity” and the medical essence of “preventive treatment of disease.”
Zhang Nan of the Qing dynasty summarized it well in his Categorical Annotations of the Plain Questions and Spiritual Pivot: “Nourish yang in spring and summer, nourish yin in autumn and winter, so as to follow the growth, transformation, harvest, and storage of heaven and earth.” The solar terms flow in an endless cycle, and the way of Chinese medicine moves with heaven and earth. May we, as TCM practitioners, take up the mission of inheritance, uphold tradition while innovating, and allow the thousand-year culture of Chinese medicine to thrive in the turning of the solar terms, to renew itself in the tides of the times, and to protect the health and well-being of the Chinese people for generations to come.