For many Chinese families, the first sign of spring is tasted rather than seen. Spring pancakes, spring rolls and the ancient idea of the spring platter all carry the same message: Renewal begins at the table. 许多中国家庭迎接立春的方式，是从尝一口春色开始的。无论是春饼、春卷，还是历史悠久的春盘，其中都包含着中国人的同一个心愿：万象更新，从一餐开始。 As the first of China's 24 solar terms, lichun, or Start of Spring, marks the turning of the seasons and reflects a long-held philosophy of eating in harmony with nature. Food follows time, and seasonal rituals anchor everyday life. The tradition of eating spring pancakes on this day — known as yaochun, or "biting into spring" — is one of the most enduring expressions of that belief. 立春节气标志着冬去春来，也集中体现了中国人数千年来顺应时令、天人合一的饮食智慧。应时而食，以食为礼，是中国人千百年来保持的生活传统。立春日吃春饼，又称"咬春"，便是这一传统的经久体现。 Folk tradition holds that taking a bite of a spring pancake is a way of ingesting the vitality of the new season, symbolizing hopes for health, prosperity and smooth days ahead. 民间认为，咬一口春饼，便是咬住了这一年的生机，寓意迎春纳吉，祈求一年康健顺利，万事遂心。 The custom traces its origins to the ancient spring platter. On the day of Start of Spring, people once arranged fresh vegetables, seasonal fruits and pastries on a shared plate, eating together to pray for a bountiful year. "咬春"习俗源于古老的"春盘"。古时，人们在立春这一天将时令果蔬、精巧点心置于盘中，聚在一起品尝，为祈求丰年。 Over time, those scattered seasonal flavors were gathered into a single thin pancake — something that could be wrapped, held and bitten into. 久而久之，这些时令风物被卷入了薄薄的春饼之中。春饼可卷、可握、可食，携带方便，滋味多元。 In the writing of celebrated author Wang Zengqi, the beauty of a spring pancake lies in its restraint. Made by kneading dough with warm water, the pancake is thin but resilient, soft without being limp, and fragrant with the natural aroma of wheat — a technique that allows ingredients to retain their individual character, reflecting the subtleties of Chinese culinary wisdom. 在作家汪曾祺笔下，春饼之美，在于一份恰到好处的留白。春饼需用温水和面，烙出来才能薄而柔韧，软而不烂，麦香自然，留得住食材的本味。这正是中国饮食智慧的精妙所在。 Describing a traditional spread, Wang wrote: "On Start of Spring, we eat spring pancakes. Raw scallions, lightly stir-fried chives, mung bean sprouts, crisp radish, soy-braised pork, chicken and duck, all shredded, with scrambled eggs and a small amount of sweet bean sauce, wrapped in thin pancakes. Each ingredient keeps its own flavor. The fragrance is exquisite." He also noted the ritual's finer points: Shredded radish is essential, as eating radish itself is called "biting into spring". After the meal, a bowl of millet or coarse-grain porridge is often served — a finishing touch known as "filling the gaps". 汪曾祺还生动描绘过传统春饼的吃法："立春日吃春饼。羊角葱（生吃）、青韭或盖韭（爆炒）、绿豆芽、水萝卜、酱肉、酱鸡、酱鸭皆切丝，炒鸡蛋，少加甜面酱，以荷叶薄饼卷食。诸物皆存本味，不相混淆，极香美。"他还特别提到，萝卜丝不可少。立春食萝卜，谓之"咬春"。饼吃得差不多饱了，喝一碗棒渣粥或小米粥，谓之"溜缝"。 While spring pancakes are prevalent in northern China, the south marks the same ritual with spring rolls. Though different in form, both foods share the same roots in the spring platter and carry the same symbolic hopes for renewal. 在北方，春饼是迎春的主角，而在南方，春卷则更常见。二者形态不同，却有着共同的"春盘"血脉，亦寄托着同源的迎春之意。 Folklore expert Zhong Fulan explains the key distinction: "In the north, spring pancakes are prepared first and then wrapped around raw or cooked ingredients. Spring rolls, by contrast, use dried wrappers to enclose precooked fillings, which are then fried." 民俗学专家仲富兰解释了这二者最本质的区别："在北方，春饼是用现做的薄饼卷着生熟食材吃；而在南方，春卷是用干皮包裹事先处理好的熟馅，再下锅炸制而成。" That difference shifts the emphasis to texture and heat. Southern spring rolls are prized for their crisp exterior and fresh, aromatic fillings, which may include vegetables, minced meat or sweet pastes, such as red bean or peanut. 形态之别带来的最大不同是风味与口感上的鲜明差异。南方春卷，胜在外皮酥脆、馅料鲜香。时蔬、肉末、甜口的红豆沙、花生都可入馅。 Zhong describes the process simply: Cooked fillings are seasoned, wrapped into small rolls and fried until golden, allowing for endless variations — savory or sweet, vegetarian or meat-based. 仲富兰介绍，制作春卷时，先将馅料制熟调味，再用薄面皮卷成小卷，下锅炸至金黄，即可出锅。春卷的馅料丰俭由人，可咸可甜，可荤可素。 Compared with the soft suppleness of spring pancakes, spring rolls are thinner and firmer, turning crisp without easily breaking. Inside, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, chives and shredded pork are commonly used, stir-fried just enough to preserve their freshness before being sealed and fried. 相比春饼的软韧柔嫩，春卷皮更薄，质地也更脆硬，油炸后不易破，酥脆分明。春卷的馅料多为笋丁、香菇、韭菜、肉丝等时令鲜物，简单快炒留住鲜香，再卷入薄皮中炸至金黄。 Fresh from the pan, spring rolls are fragrant and satisfying — crisp on the outside, tender within — preserving the lightness of spring vegetables while adding depth from frying. They have become an indispensable seasonal dish on southern tables. 刚刚出锅的春卷，油香沁人、外脆内嫩，既保留了春季时蔬的清爽，又赋予了油炸后的浓香，成为南方人餐桌上不可或缺的时令佳品。 Even as modern life accelerates, the tradition of "biting into spring" remains widely practiced across China. Like an invisible thread, it binds people to their cultural heritage, reminding them to follow nature's rhythms and savor the beauty of folk traditions. 时至今日，尽管生活节奏日渐加快，但"咬春"的习俗仍在中国各地普遍延续。它如同一根看不见的文化细线，串起了今人与先民的生活记忆，提醒人们顺应自然、细品民俗之美。 Beyond pancakes and rolls, many also choose to eat radishes and fresh seasonal vegetables on this day — gently awakening bodies weathered by winter, while expressing, in the simplest way, a heartfelt anticipation for the arrival of spring. 除了春饼、春卷，很多地方的人们还会选择在立春日吃萝卜、尝春菜，不仅用清淡的春味唤醒历经寒冬的身体，也以最朴素的方式，向即将到来的春天致以真切的期盼。 Start of Spring /stɑːrt əv sprɪŋ/立春 spring platter /sprɪŋ ˈplætər/春盘 in harmony with nature /ɪn ˈhɑːrməni wɪð ˈneɪtʃər/天人合一 biting into spring /ˈbaɪtɪŋ ˈɪntuː sprɪŋ/咬春 pray for a bountiful year /preɪ fɔːr ə ˈbaʊntɪfəl jɪr/祈求丰年 subtleties of Chinese culinary wisdom /ˈsʌtltiz əv ˌʧaɪˈniːz ˈkʌlɪnəri ˈwɪzdəm/中国饮食智慧的精妙之处 indispensable /ˌɪndɪˈspensəbl/不可或缺的
