爱华网Slight Heat, comes between July 6th and 8th annually, is one of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar.
"Shu" stands for hot, so "Xiao Shu" (Slight Heat) means hot, but not as hot as "Da Shu" (Great Heat).
Due to the high temperatures of summer, people's digestive functions are relatively weak. Therefore, bland diets are preferred.
In the north of China, dumplings and noodles are the traditional food in Slight Heat.
小暑是我们农历的二十四节气之一，通常始于每年的7月6日至8日之间。
“暑”表示炎热的意思，所以“小暑”即为小热，不过还未达到大暑时节的酷热程度。
由于盛夏酷热的原因，人们的胃口普遍不佳，故而较为偏爱清淡的饮食。
在我国北方地区，饺子和面条则是小暑时节的传统时令饮食。
【讲解】文中的Slight Heat就是“小暑”的意思，也可以称为Minor Heat或者Lesser Heat，是二十四节气(solar term)之第十一个节气;文中提到的“大暑”则为Great Heat或者Greater Heat，这段时间也是气温最热的“伏天”(dog days或hot summer days)，通常在立秋(the Beginning of Autumn)和白露(White Dew)之后，天气逐渐转凉。
文中的bland是形容词，意为“清淡的;和蔼的”，如：bland diet(清淡的饮食)，bland smile(和蔼的微笑)。
