Mangzhong, or Grain in Ear, the ninth of the 24 solar terms on the Chinese lunar calendar, falls on June 5 this year. The "Mang" in Chinese refers to the awn on the seed shell of cereal plants, and sounds like the Chinese character for "busy." Mangzhong marks the ripening of crops such as barley and wheat, reminding people that it is time to harvest.

Tune: The Moon over the West River
A Summer Night on My Way Home from the Yellow Sand Ridge 

by Xin Qiji (Song Dynasty) 

Tr. Xu Yuanchong 

Startled by magpies leaving the branch in moonlight, 

I hear cicadas shrill in the breeze at midnight. 

The rice fields' sweet smell promises a bumper year, 

Listen, how frogs' croaks please the ear! 

Beyond the clouds seven or eight stars twinkle; 

Before the hills two or three raindrops sprinkle. 

There is an inn beside the village temple. Look! 

The winding path leads to the hut beside the brook. 

Source: enghunan.gov.cn; CGTN 

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