The original meaning and origin of "Flowing Fire in July"

"July Fire" comes from "The Book of Songs", which means that the big Mars moves westward and the weather turns cooler. Note that it is often misused to describe hot weather. It is easy to misinterpret the meaning.

July refers to the seventh month of the lunar calendar, which is today’s seventh month of the lunar calendar, which is roughly equivalent to August of the Gregorian calendar.

"Flow" means moving and falling.

"Fire", the name of the star, refers to the big Mars, Antares. Antares is at the mid-heaven at dusk in the fifth month of the lunar calendar every year. After June, it gradually moves to the west. The summer heat begins to subside. Therefore, it is called "Flowing Fire". The ancients discovered that the great Mars gradually moved to the west, and when it fell, the weather began to get cooler.

"火" is a pseudonym, the same as the word "huǐ", which is the name of the big Mars. The star name is "Antare", which is Alpha Scorpio. Mars is a famous red giant star. Every year at dusk in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the heart is in the middle of the sky, located due south, with the highest position. At dusk in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the position of the big Mars gradually drops from the mid-heaven to the west, and the summer heat begins to subside. "We know that the summer heat is gradually receding and autumn is coming," so it is called "Liuhuo". It means the weather is getting cooler.

The "fire" referred to here is not the fire-like weather, but the name of a star, namely Alpha Scorpio. It is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio, emitting fiery red light. Therefore, ancient Chinese astronomy called it the "big fire" star, also called Antares.

In ancient times when weather forecasts were not perfect, people often determined the farming season and guided production by observing the movement of the sun, moon and stars. Gu Yanwu, a great scholar in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, once wrote in the book "Rizhilu": "For more than three generations, everyone knows about astronomy. 'Fire flowing in July' is a farmer's term." Even the court at that time even set up a special He assumed the position of "Huozheng" and was responsible for observing the position of the "Huozheng" star to determine the farming season.

Through year-round observation, the ancients discovered that during the "July Fire", that is, when the "Fire" star gradually moves to the west and falls, the weather will begin to gradually turn cooler.

It should also be pointed out that due to the slow movement of the vernal equinox, the scene of "flowing fire in July" described in the "Book of Songs" more than 2,000 years ago can now only be observed at the end of the eighth lunar month. arrive.

In short, "July Fire" is a sign that the weather is starting to get cooler. If you use "July fire" to describe the hot weather, you are actually making the wrong mistake.