The Start of Winter marks the cold season’s beginning. This year, it falls on the eighth of November.“Li” means “to start”, while “Dong” means “the winter”. In the ancient Chinese language,“Dong” also indicates（表明；象征）“the end”, meaning that crops need to be collected after a year’s growth. Many animals sink into hibernation（冬眠；蛰伏）. Nature is basically dormant（休眠的；静止的）. Beginnings of winter, spring, summer and autumn are known as the “Four Beginnings”. They were important festivals in the ancient agricultural society.

立冬标志着寒冷季节的到来。今年，立冬在11月8日。“立”的意思是“开始”，“冬”的意思即“冬天”。在古文中，冬也有“终”的意思，意味着农作物在经过一年的生长后，此刻要被贮藏起来了。许多动物进入冬眠状态。大自然也休息了。立冬、立春、立夏和立秋一起被称作“四立”。在古代农业社会，它们都是非常重要的节日。

In fact, the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology（气象学）. The winter actually starts on the first day of five consecutive（连续的） days when the average temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius. With the vast（巨大的） territory （领土；版图）of China, winter starts at different times in different areas.

事实上，从气象学上讲，立冬并不等于入冬。冬季实际开始于连续五天平均气温低于10摄氏度的第一天。由于中国幅员辽阔，每个地区的冬季也不会在同一时间开始。

Mohe, a town in the northernmost part of China, has entered a long winter since early September. While the Yangtze River Region will not see the winter scenes until the end of November.

在中国最北部的漠河小镇，9月上旬就已进入了漫长的冬季。而在11月底，长江流域才开始看到冬天的景象。

Traditional Chinese believe Lidong is a crucial（关键的；至关重要的） time to consume （消费；吃）some nutrients（营养品）, thus ensuring continued health throughout winter. People often eat high-calorie food such as chicken, duck, beef, mutton, and fish to prepare for the oncoming cold winter. Today, there is still a saying that goes “Nourish the winter, fill up your mouth.”

传统的中国人认为，立冬是进补一些营养品的关键时期，以确保整个冬季都能保持健康。人们食用鸡鸭鱼肉以及牛羊肉等高热量的食物，为即将到来的寒冬做准备。民间素有“立冬补冬，补嘴空”的说法。

In northern China, people celebrate Lidong as the “Small Spring Festival”, a time for eating dumplings. The shape of dumplings is like our ears. There goes a saying, “Eat dumplings on the Start of Winter, or your ears will be frostbitten.”The nam“jiaozi” (dumplings) comes from “jiāozǐzhīshí” (the transition of time). Eating jiaozi also resonates（产生联想；和......想法类似） with the change from autumn to winter.

在中国北方，人们庆祝立冬为“小春节”，是吃饺子的时候。饺子的形状就像我们的耳朵。一句俗语道：“立冬不端饺子碗，冻掉耳朵没人管。”“饺子”的名字来源于“交子之时”，吃饺子也正回应了从秋入冬的季节变化。