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Xiaoman, the 8th solar term among the 24 solar terms, is the second term of the summer season. Xiaoman occurs annually between May 20th and 22nd on the Gregorian calendar. During Xiaoman, the handle of the Big Dipper points to Jia, and the sun reaches 60 degrees of celestial longitude. The name Xiaoman has two meanings. First, it is related to climate and precipitation. During Xiaoman, heavy rain begins to increase in the southern regions, and rainfall becomes frequent. There is a folk saying, ’Xiaoman, Xiaoman, rivers and lakes gradually fill up.’ The ’man’ in Xiaoman refers to the abundance of rainfall. Second, it is associated with wheat cultivation. In northern regions, there is little to no rainfall during Xiaoman, and the ’man’ in Xiaoman does not refer to precipitation but rather the fullness of wheat.
