Month: March 2015

Chunfen (春分) is the vernal equinox which is on March 20-21. In 2015, it falls on March 21.

An equinox occurs twice a year, around March 20-21 and September 22-23. It is the day when daytime and night are of approximately equal duration.

 

The names vernal equinox and autumnal equinox are based on the seasons, and can be confusing since seasons of the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere are opposites, and the vernal equinox of one hemisphere is the autumnal equinox of the other.

Another way to call them is March equinox and September equinox, referring to the times of the year when such equinoxes occur rather the seasons.

 

A few Chinese poems related to Chunfen (vernal equinox):

五代‧ 徐鉉《春分日》

仲春初四日，春色正中分。綠野徘徊月，晴天斷續雲。 燕飛猶個個，花落已紛紛。思婦高樓晚，歌聲不可聞。

 

五代‧ 徐鉉《七絕．甦醒》

春分雨腳落聲微，柳岸斜風帶客歸。 時令北方偏向晚，可知早有綠腰肥。

 

唐‧ 崔融《和宋之問寒食題黃梅臨江驛》

春分自淮北，寒食渡江南。忽見潯陽水，疑是宋家潭。 明主閽難叫，孤臣逐未堪。遙思故園陌，桃李正酣酣。

 

宋‧ 葛勝仲《蝶戀花》

已過春分春欲去。千炬花間，作意留春住。一曲清歌無誤顧。繞梁餘韻歸何處。盡日勸春春不語。紅氣蒸霞，且看桃千樹。才子霏談更五鼓。剩看走筆揮風雨。

 

Further readings :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox

http://big5.huaxia.com/zhwh/whrd/whrdwz/2010/03/1801815.html

http://zhongkao.xdf.cn/201203/1145796.html