Collected Explanations of the Seventy-Two Pentads:

“In the middle of the third month, after Rain Water, the soil is moist and pulsating. Now rain falls like grain onto the water. The character ‘雨’ (rain) here is pronounced in the falling tone, as in ‘rain upon my public field’. Grains are sown at this time, coming from above to below.”

Grain Rain is the sixth of the twenty-four solar terms and the last solar term of spring. At this time, all grains sprout, grasses and trees are fragrant, and spring is at its fullest.

Three Pentads of Grain Rain

First Pentad | Duckweed begins to grow

The plum rains pass, the duckweed wind rises. Rain nourishes all things, and duckweed grows rapidly.

With Grain Rain, duckweed meets the water. In the countryside, duckweed is everywhere. I used to think duckweed was cheap and tough, thriving wherever there is water. Later I learned that duckweed is actually fragile and cannot withstand cold or frost. When duckweed appears on the water, there will be no more late spring cold snaps.

Second Pentad | The cuckoo preens its feathers

The clear and melodious call of the cuckoo – “Cuckoo! Cuckoo!” – rings out across the fields, spreading the message of planting season.

It is the same for us: our spring plowing and efforts determine summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter peace. In truth, no bird urges us on; it is responsibility and duty that make us strive forward.

Third Pentad | The hoopoe descends on the mulberry tree

The hoopoe with its colorful feathered crown plays in the mulberry trees. Silkworms eat fresh mulberry leaves, storing strength to break out of their cocoons and become butterflies.

Grain Rain Customs

Drinking Grain Rain Tea

There is a custom of drinking tea during Grain Rain. Grain Rain tea, also called pre-rain tea, is spring tea harvested during the Grain Rain period and is also known as second spring tea.

Admiring Peonies

“Three days into Grain Rain, admire the peonies.” The peony is called the Grain Rain flower or the flower of wealth and honor. Admiring peonies during Grain Rain has been a tradition for over a thousand years.

Eating Toon Sprouts

Around Grain Rain, toon sprouts are fragrant, refreshing, and nutritious, hence the saying: “Before the rain, toon sprouts are as tender as silk.” People call the picking and eating of toon sprouts in spring “biting into spring.” Toon sprouts come in purple and green varieties, with purple being the best.

END

Grain Rain – the last breathtaking glimpse of spring, as summer gradually approaches. May all our efforts and hard work bloom into beautiful flowers. May we live up to the spring, and live up to ourselves.