惊蛰，古称"启蛰"是二十四节气中的第3个节气这时天气转暖，渐有春雷动物入冬藏伏土中，不饮不食，称为"蛰"而"惊蛰"即上天以打雷惊醒蛰居动物的日子这时中国大部分地区进入春耕季节
惊蛰，古称“启蛰”，是中国传统二十四节气（the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms）中的第三个节气。蛰，是指动物入冬蛰伏土中的冬眠状态。惊蛰，即天上的雷声惊醒了沉睡的万物，所以惊蛰的英文表达为Awakening of Insects 。
Awakening of Insects signals a rise in temperature and increased rainfall. As the third solar term in the lunar year, its name alludes to the fact that animals sleeping in winter are awakened by spring thunder and that the earth begins to come back to life. It is the key time for spring agricultural activities.
惊蛰标志着气温的上升和降雨的增加。作为农历的第三个节气，它的名字指冬眠的动物被春雷惊醒，大地开始复苏，这是春季农业活动的关键时期。
allude[əˈluːd] vi. 暗指，转弯抹角地说到；略为提及，顺便提到
Spring thunder cracks the sky
The spring thunder is most noticeable during the Awakening of Insects solar term. An old Chinese saying goes: "If the first spring thunder crashes before the Awakening of Insects solar term, there will be abnormal weather that year." The Awakening of Insects falls after the end of winter and before the beginning of spring. Wind during this period is an important factor in weather forecasting.
春雷在这个节气期间最为明显。中国有句古话：“惊蛰前如果出现雷响，这一年的天气就会异常。” 惊蛰一般是指在冬末和春天开始之前一段时间，这一时期的风是天气预报的一个重要因素。
noticeable [ˈnəʊtɪsəbl]adj. 显而易见的，显著的；值得注意的crash[kræʃ]v. 碰撞；（使）坠毁；（使）摔碎；使发出巨响；（金融企业等）破产；（机器、系统等）崩溃；（比赛中）惨败；（在临时安排的地方）入睡；心脏停止跳动；擅自闯入n. （交通工具）坠毁；碰撞声；暴跌；（机器、系统的）崩溃；睡觉；粗棉布adj. 应急的，速成的adv. 哗啦一声地abnormal[æbˈnɔːm]adj. 反常的，不规则的；变态的
Spring ploughing
The Awakening of Insects is an extremely important time for farmers and is widely seen as the beginning of the busiest time for agricultural work. During this period, most parts of China experience the quickest rise in temperatures, with the average level reaching above 10 degrees Celsius, and there is a marked increase in sunshine, which provides good natural conditions for farming.
对农民来说，惊蛰是一个极其重要的时刻，被广泛认为是农业生产最繁忙时期的开始。这一时期，我国大部分地区气温上升最快，平均气温达到10摄氏度以上，日照明显增多，为农业生产提供了良好的自然条件。
extremely [ɪkˈstriːmli]adv. 非常，极其；极端地quickest[ˈkwɪkɪst]adj. 最快的
Offering sacrifices to the white tiger
According to ancient Chinese folklore, a white tiger is the creature that brings quarrels and disputes. It always begins hunting during the Awakening of Insects, and sometimes bites people. It is said that those bitten by a white tiger will encounter evil villains in their life that bring obstructions and bad luck. Therefore people offer sacrifices to the white tiger during the Awakening of Insects to protect themselves.
根据中国古代民间传说，白虎是一种会引起纷争的动物。它总是在惊蛰期间开始捕食猎物，有时会咬伤人。据说，那些被白虎咬伤的人会在他们的生活中遇到恶人，会带来不顺或坏运气。因此，人们在惊蛰期间给白虎贡品以保护自己。
folklore [ˈfəʊklɔː(r)] n. 民俗学；民间传说；民间风俗quarrel [ˈkwɒrəl]n. 吵架，口角；反目，失和；争吵（或抱怨）的原因；方头凿，方头投掷物；方镞箭v. 吵架，争论；反对；挑剔；抱怨dispute [dɪ'spjuːt; 'dɪspjuːt]n. 辩论；争吵；意见不同v. 辩论；对……进行质疑；争夺；抵抗（进攻）encounter[ɪnˈkaʊntə(r)] v. 遭遇；邂逅；遇到n. 遭遇；偶然碰见villain [ˈvɪlən]n. 坏人，恶棍；戏剧、小说中的反派角色；顽童；罪犯obstruction [əbˈstrʌkʃn]n. 障碍；阻碍；妨碍sacrifice [ˈsækrɪfaɪs]n. 牺牲；祭品；供奉vt. 牺牲；献祭；亏本出售vi. 献祭；奉献
When practicing this old custom, people draw the white tiger on paper, and then smear pig's blood and pork on its mouth. This means the tiger is fed so that it would not bite people, avoiding bad luck and conflict.
按照这个习俗，人们在纸上画白虎，然后在它的嘴上涂上猪的血和猪肉。这意味着老虎被喂饱了，不会咬人，以避免不顺和冲突。
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