Today marks the begining of the third fu, the last period of three fu. Then what is "three fu"?

Three fu/ Dog Days

        

Three fu refers to three hottest ten-day periods of the hot season, usually known as dog days or Canicular days in English-speaking world. It occurs during Chinese solar terms Minor Heat and the Limit of Heat when Yin energy is forced by Yang energy to lie dormant underground. "Fu" means being dormant. With Yang energy playing a dominating role, it is certainly schorching or sweltering.    

          

The three fu is further divided into the first fu, second fu and third fu. Both the first and last fu are only 10 days, but the second fu can be 10 or 20 days long, which makes three fu last 30 or 40 days. This year, we are  just so "lucky" to have 40-day three fu from July 11 to August 20. I bet you have felt the "warmth" of three fu in the last two month~

Be careful of "Autumn Tiger"

During the last ten days of three fu, it's bit cooler, but be careful of "Autumn Tiger". 

Autumn tiger is a spell of hot weather after the Start of Autumn, like Indian summer, during which it's cool in morning and evening but still hot in the afternoon. Yet the Autumn Tiger in the forklore has no rigorous definition and time period. People may equal the third fu as Autumn Tiger because the comeback of heat is likely to occurs during the third fu. Generally speaking, it always occurs between the late August and the early September, lasting for 7 days to a month long.

Be careful of such a fierce "tiger".  It's still advisable to prevent heatstroke recently. Besides, try to keep a high spirit and don't be upset by the comeback of heat.

Cool Autumn

Chinese forklore has it that if it rains on the very day of "the Start of Autumn", even if it is a light rain, then the approaching autumn would go smooth with a less fierce autumn tiger. Remember the rain that poured down on the day just next "the Start of Autumn"? I believe we're moving to a pleasant cool autumn!