“立春”为二十四节气之首。立，是“开始”之意；春，代表着温暖、生长。二十四节气最初是依据“斗转星移”制定，当北斗七星的斗柄指向寅位时为立春。现行是依据太阳黄经度数定节气，当太阳到达黄经315°时为立春，于每年公历2月3-5日交节。干支纪元，以寅月为春正、立春为岁首，立春乃万物起始、一切更生之义也，意味着新的一个轮回已开启。在传统观念中，立春有吉祥的涵义。
我们来看看如何用英文描述立春这一节气，学会用英文讲述节气的故事，传播中国文化。
The traditional Chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. Lìchūn (pīnyīn), literally "Start of Spring", is the 1st solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 315° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 330°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 315°, which in the Gregorian calendar is around February 4. It's also the beginning of a Sexagenary cycle.
传统农历将一年划分为24个节气。立春，拼音为Lìchūn，是第1个节气。它始于太阳到达黄经315，结束于太阳到达黄经330°。它更常指的是太阳正处于黄经315°的日子，在公历中，通常在2月4日左右。立春也是干支纪元之始。
Each solar term can be divided into 3 pentads. They are: first pentad, second pentad and last pentad. Pentads in Lichun include:
每个节气可分为三候：初候、次候和末候。立春的三候为：
First pentad 初候:
东风解冻
Winter ice thaws in the east wind
蜇虫始振
Hibernating insects awaken
鱼陟负冰
Fish swim upward near ice
Start of Spring marks the end of the winter and the start of the spring when the wind is mild, the sun is warm and everything grows.
立春标志着万物闭藏的冬季已过去，开始进入风和日暖、万物生长的春季。
Start of Spring lifts the curtain of spring. After that everything turns green and full of vigor; people clearly see that the daytime is becoming longer and the weather is becoming warmer.
立春揭开了春天的帷幕，之后万物皆绿，充满活力。人们会看到，白天越来越长，天气越来越暖和。
As a solar term, Start of Spring had already entered people's lives in the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, there were eight solar terms. According to some experts, the 24 solar terms were used for the first time in books during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), when the Start of Spring was set as the Spring Festival.
作为一个节气，立春在春秋时期已经进入人们的生活，那时有八个节气。据专家考证，24节气于西汉时期首次见于书籍中，当时立春被定为春节。
It is said that the egg can be set upright on the first day of the Start of Spring, Spring Equinox day and Autumn Equinox day. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand on the first day of Start of Spring, he will have good luck in the future.
据说鸡蛋可以在立春、春分日和秋分日直立。人们相信，如果有人能在立春把鸡蛋立起来，他将来就会有好运。
In many parts of China, people observe the custom of "biting the spring" on the first day of Start of Spring. They eat spring pancakes, spring rolls, or a few mouthfuls of carrots.
在中国的许多地方，人们在开春的第一天就有“咬春”的习俗。他们吃春饼、春卷或咬几口胡萝卜。
Plums blossom from the 12th lunar month to the second month of the next year. The plum blossom, as it fights against the cold, is the most highly regarded. In China, the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum are praised as the four gentlemen.
梅花从农历12月到次年2月盛放。梅花凌寒，是最受推崇的。在中国，梅、兰、竹和菊被誉为四君子。
