The earth king is a supplement to the twenty-four solar terms. According to the five elements, wood, water, fire and gold are based on each other for the time being, and there is no literature on soil for the time being. Therefore, in every four seasons, there are 18 days designated as belonging to the soil, and the whole year is 72 days. It's called the king of the earth these days. Wood, water, fire and gold are reduced by 18 days every quarter, leaving about 73 days, thus successfully dividing the whole year into five parts. This is the "local emperor" in Hakka folklore.
Name meaning
The earth king is a supplement to the twenty-four solar terms. According to the five elements, wood, water, fire and gold are based on each other for the time being, and there is no literature on soil for the time being. Therefore, in every four seasons, there are 18 days designated as belonging to the soil, and the whole year is 72 days. It's called the king of the earth these days. Wood, water, fire and gold are reduced by 18 days every quarter, leaving about 73 days, thus successfully dividing the whole year into five parts. This is the legendary "land king" of Hakka dwellings. During this period, we can't break ground to build houses, nor can we start work on the wall.
Division of solar terms
In ancient times, a year was divided into four seasons, namely, spring, summer, autumn and winter, and eight seasons, namely, beginning of spring, Changxia, beginning of autumn, beginning of winter, vernal equinox, autumnal equinox, summer solstice and winter solstice. Later, the first solar term of each month is called solar term, and qi means neutral qi. The second solar term of each month happens to be the time when the sun crosses the palace to exchange gas, so it is called gas. This month is the time of gas exchange, that is, the five elements are at their peak, so Tuwang 18th is the first nine days and the last nine days of gas in March, June, September and December. March contains the atmosphere of Tomb-Sweeping Day and Grain Rain, so the first nine days and the last nine days in Grain Rain are eighteen days with rich soil in spring. June includes the Summer Festivals and the Summer Festivals, so the first nine days and the last nine days of the Summer Festivals total eighteen days, which is the time when summer is flourishing. September is the cold dew festival, and the first frost is full of breath, so the first nine days and the last nine days of the first frost are the 18 most prosperous days of the autumn festival. December is a slight cold festival, and the weather is very cold, so the first nine days and the last nine days of the great cold are eighteen days in winter.