July 11 marked the arrival of this year's sanfu days, or "dog days of summer" in China.
7月11日标志着今年三伏天的开始，三伏天是中国夏天最热的日子。
Sanfu in the Chinese lunar calendar refers to the three 10-day periods that are predicted to be the hottest days of the year, called toufu or chufu (mid-July), zhongfu (late July to early August), and mofu (mid-August).
在中国农历里，三伏指的是那三个以十天为一个周期的时期，这些时期预计是一年当中最热的日子，这三伏分别是初伏(在7月中旬)、中伏(7月底至8月初)和末伏(8月中旬)。
The beginning of sanfu varies year to year, in accordance with the ancient Chinese dates designated by 10 Heavenly Stems (tiangan) and 12 Earthly Branches (dizi)-- two sets of sequential signs to calculate history and chronicle
events.
按照我国古代根据10天干12地支(两套记录历史和编年史的序列符号)编制的日期算法，每年入伏的时间不固定。
Let's take a look at some traditional ways to while away the dog days of summer.
让我们一起来看看一些度过三伏天的传统方法吧。
Careful dieting
注意饮食
Ancient Chinese developed a refined diet to help beat the heat and to find peace and joy during sanfu.
为了抵御三伏天的高温炎热，并从中获得和平与欢乐，古人发展了一套合理的饮食方案。
Health experts say in sanfu, it's better not to drink icy drinks or eat much ice cream, as the heat within one's body is usually felt on the surface of the body, not in the internal organs. Eating more vegetables, less meat, and less
oily foods are also recommended to make yourself comfortable on those hot summer days.
健康专家说，在三伏天，最好不要喝太多冰饮料，不要吃太多冰淇淋，因为人体通常是通过人体表面，而不是内部器官，来感知体内的热火的。在三伏天，推荐食用更多的蔬菜、少肉、少油，这样会让你感觉很舒服。
In his book titled Shanghan Zabing Lun (Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases), Zhang Zhongjing, an ancient Chinese physician from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), wrote to prevent and treat heat stroke, the right way is to drink some hot water and sweat, as it is good for boosting blood circulation.
在我国古代东汉时期(25-220)知名医生张仲景写的防治中暑的书《伤寒杂病论》中，张仲景提到，正确的防治中暑的方法是喝一些热水并发汗，因为这样对促进血液循环有帮助。
When the weather is sizzling, people's tastes change and so they turn to foods and drinks which they believe can help relieve "inner heat" in the human body.
天气很热的时候，人的口味会改变，会变得更喜欢吃喝那些他们认为能够降火的食物。
Over the centuries, people in different parts of China have created a wide variety of local delicacies to cool off at the dinner table.
几个世纪以来,中国各地的人们创造了多种当地饮食方法来降暑。
Among the best known "cooling" treats and drinks are bitter melons, cucumbers, black wood ear fungus, herb jelly, sour plum juice, ginger tea, green mung bean soup, and duck soup.
在这些方法当中，最知名的降火方法就是吃苦瓜、黄瓜，喝黑木耳饮、烧仙草、酸梅汤、绿豆汤、鸭汤。
英文来源：中国日报
翻译：沫沫
