今天是二十四节气（the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms）中的第十一个节气，也是夏天的第五个节气——小暑。
6 things you may not know
about Minor Heat
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Heat, the 11th solar term of the year, begins on July 7 this year and ends on July 22.
中国传统农历将一年分为24个节气。小暑是一年中的第11个节气，今天（7月7日）10点37分，太阳到达黄经一百零五度，到7月22日结束。
Minor Heat signifies the hottest period is coming but the extreme hot point has yet to arrive.
小暑意味着最热的时期即将到来，但极端炎热的时刻还没有到来。
“暑，热也，就热之中分为大小，月初为小，月中为大，今则热气犹小也。" 小暑的标志：出梅、入伏。
“热在三伏”，此时正是进入伏天的开始。“伏”即伏藏的意思，所以人们应当少外出以避暑气。
The following are six things you need to know about Minor Heat.
以下是关于小暑你需要知道的六件事。
A season of storms, thunder and hail
Storms, thunder and hail often happen during Minor Heat, though in some years there might be droughts. One of the prevailing farming activities during Minor Heat is staying on top of flood control and drought relief.暴风雨、雷雨和冰雹经常发生在小暑，尽管有些年份可能会出现干旱。小暑期间最主要的“农业活动”之一就是防洪和抗旱。A season for the lotus flower
In Minor Heat, high temperatures are good for the growth of the lotus flower. From Minor Heat to the Double Ninth Festival, the lotus flower is in full bloom, and always simple but elegant.小暑节气，高温有利于荷花的生长，从小暑到重阳节（10月25日），是荷花的盛放期，干净而素雅。
Minor Heat is the season when fireflies become lively. Zhu Shuzhen, a woman of the Southern Song Dynasty, once described in her famous poem, Summer Fireflies, a happy scene of children playing with fireflies in the woods at night.小暑是萤火虫活跃的季节。南宋女子朱淑贞曾在她的作品《忆秦娥·正月初六日夜月》中描绘了夜晚孩子们在树林中与萤火虫嬉戏的欢乐场景。
Minor Heat comes when all kinds of melons are being harvested. One custom in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu province has to do with enjoying small melons on the day of Minor Heat and having big melons on the day of Major Heat. Small and big melons normally refer to cantaloupes and watermelons.小暑来临的时候，也是各种瓜类收获的季节。江苏南京有一种习俗：小暑吃小瓜，大暑吃大瓜。小瓜和大瓜通常是指哈密瓜和西瓜。
Dumplings are the traditional and household food among Chinese. When the "dog day" comes, people tend to lose their appetites, and dumplings can refresh people's feelings toward food.民间过伏天有个传统“头伏饺子二伏面，三伏烙饼摊鸡蛋”，饺子是中国人最传统和家常食物。当伏天到来的时候，人们往往会胃口不佳，而饺子可以让人们重燃食欲。
During the Minor Heat period, with the longest amount of sunlight and the strongest sunlight radiation, many families hang their clothes out in the sun to prevent mildew.在小暑期间，阳光照射时间最长，阳光辐射最强，许多家庭会把衣服太阳下进行晾晒以防发霉。二十四节气
今日17时14分夏至：盛夏来临