Grain in Ear

Grain in Ear (Mangzhong) is the ninth of the twenty-four solar terms and the third solar term of summer, marking the beginning of the wu month in the sexagenary stem-branch calendar. It occurs when the Big Dipper points to the celestial stem bing and the sun reaches the ecliptic longitude of 75°, typically falling on June 5–7 in the Gregorian calendar. The meaning of “Mangzhong” is “awned grain crops can now be sown; once this period passes, the opportunity is lost.”

In ancient China, Mangzhong was divided into three pentads: in the first pentad, the praying mantis is born; in the second pentad, the shrike begins to sing; in the third pentad, the mockingbird falls silent. During this season, temperatures rise markedly, rainfall is plentiful, and air humidity is high — conditions well suited to planting grain crops such as late rice. Agricultural cultivation takes this solar term as a boundary; after Mangzhong, the survival rate of newly planted crops declines progressively. It is a reflection of ancient agrarian culture's sensitivity to seasonality. Mangzhong is a busy period of plowing and sowing, and among the people it is also called “Busy Planting.” This season is precisely the time for planting rice in the south and harvesting wheat in the north. Folk customs include praying for healthy seedlings, bidding farewell to the Flower God, engaging in mud battles, and boiling plums.