dog days of summer; three fu periods
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesnoun
the three fu periods; the dog days of summer
Traditionally calculated based on geng days (庚日): the third geng day after the summer solstice marks the start of the first fu (初伏), the fourth geng day starts the middle fu (中伏), and the first geng day after the beginning of autumn starts the last fu (末伏). The first and last fu are always ten days each, while the middle fu may be ten or twenty days.
The dog days of summer are the hottest time of the year.
This year's dog days last a full forty days.
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Elders say you should eat mutton to nourish your body during the dog days.
noun
the last fu period; the final ten days of the dog days
A narrower, specific usage referring only to the final fu period (末伏) that begins on the first geng day after the beginning of autumn.
The last fu has passed, and the weather is gradually cooling down.
Although it is already the last fu period, the autumn tiger remains fierce.