Why does “hoeing” have to be done “at noon”?

Mr. Cheng sent me a beautiful article written by his colleague and our old neighbor Teacher An Yanzhu. I really like it. Good articles must be shared with friends.

Why does "hoeing" have to happen "at noon"?

An Yanzhu

Tang Dynasty Poetry "Compassion for the Farmers" (Part 2)

It is noon on the day of hoeing, and sweat drips from the soil.

Who knows that every meal on the plate is hard work.

This popular poem can be recited by even a three-year-old child, and primary school students also know that farmers work hard and food is hard-earned, so it becomes a poem that does not require thinking about the reason at all. . However, I have to question: Why does "hoeing" have to be "at noon"? Why not go hoeing early in the morning, go home and rest when the weather gets hot at noon, and then go out hoeing in the afternoon when the weather is not too hot?

To answer this question, we must first look at a few farmers' proverbs: Plow and plant lentils at the beginning of spring. Around Qingming Festival, Angua grows beans. The jujube trees are blooming, so plant cotton quickly. Spring is delayed by one day and autumn is delayed by ten days. …These agricultural proverbs all talk about the timeliness of agricultural production.

"It is noon on the day of hoeing" should also be explained by timeliness. Timeliness is divided into "time point" and "time difference". For example, "Before and after Qingming, Angua grows beans." belongs to "time point"; "Spring is delayed by one day, and autumn is delayed by ten days." belongs to "time difference".

"Time point" refers to the best time, that is, for a certain crop, the time when sowing, weeding, fertilizing, watering, and harvesting are most effective; "time difference" refers to the time from sowing to The harvest time is different, and every link before harvest should not be delayed. Otherwise, the crops will not be mature or full when the harvest time comes. Although "the day of hoeing is at noon" is only a link, it has both "time point" and "time difference". From a "time point" point of view, "noon of the day" is the best time to hoe weeds, because the grass roots that are hoed will soon die after being exposed to the sun at noon. If the grass roots hoed up in the morning and evening are not easy to die due to the wet ground, and the clay soil is alive, the "hoeing" effect will not be good. In terms of "time difference", hard-working farmers do not rest in the morning and evening and go to "hoeing" at noon. Even if it is not suitable to "hoe" in the morning and evening, they still have to do other work and are busy from morning to night. "Sunday noon" is not only the best time for "hoeing", but also in a hurry. If you can hoe for a while, just hoe for a while. If you finish hoeing today, you will never postpone it to tomorrow; if you can finish hoeing in three days, you will finish it. Don’t delay for four or five days. The longer you delay, the taller the grass will be and the harder it will be to hoe; if you hoe slowly, the crops will grow slowly and mature later. If there is frost, it will be less full and the yield will be reduced; more serious, it will be immature and the grains will not be harvested. Although it is a "noon" period, it is related to the harvest of the year. From this point of view, "the day of hoeing is at noon" cannot be explained by a simple "hard work".

Learning also has "time points" and "time differences". In terms of "time point", the morning is suitable for memorizing, such as memorizing English words, reciting ancient poems, etc.; the evening is suitable for practicing questions, and "quiet night thinking" is more effective in doing questions. In terms of "time difference", the knowledge of the day should be digested on the same day, and today's homework should not be postponed until tomorrow; the study tasks of the first year of high school must not be postponed to the second year or even the third year of high school. If you drag them around and pile up the problems until the third year of high school, it will It will delay the maturity of learning ability, so you will have to take extra classes, you will be late to go to college, you will be late to work accordingly, you will miss many opportunities, and you will be slower every step of your life. This should attract the attention of every student.

Life is more time-sensitive. "The Master said in Sichuan: 'The deceased is like a man, not giving up day and night.'" "The old man is approaching, and he is afraid that he will not be able to cultivate his reputation." The ancients knew that making contributions should be done in an energetic young period, even though "martyrs" In old age, ambitions are endless." Old age and infirmity are always difficult to compare with "the sun at eight or nine o'clock." Su Shi felt that this was the reason for his "early hair". When the book is used, it will be regretted. "If a young man does not work hard, the old man will be sad." If you don't accumulate knowledge when you are young, and delay making up for it until you are an adult, it will often be too late. If you learn it late, you will definitely use it late, and your ability will definitely improve slowly.

"Don't you see, the bright mirror in the high hall has sad white hair, and the morning is like blue silk and turns to snow at dusk." Life is short, so you should understand that "a year's plan lies in spring", and a life's plan lies in youth.

"Don't wait too long, and your young head will turn gray", and don't be "unsatisfied" by the time. ?