Summer fruits in The Story of Stone
伏天将至《红楼梦》里的冰湃果子 你心动了吗
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During the Minor Heat (July 7-22), rainy days are common. Hot and humid weather naturally inhibits our appetite. In this period, seasonal fruits are recommended to help relieve summer heat.
小暑期间，多雨潮湿，闷热的天气容易让人没有食欲，此时多吃些应季水果，可以达到清凉解暑的作用。
As is described in The Story of Stone (one of the four great classics of Chinese literature), fruits, which are relatively common today, were highly prized in ancient times. What kind of fruits with the functions of cooling and relieving summer heat are mentioned in The Story of Stone? Let's have a look!
提到水果，现在比较常见，但在古代却十分珍贵。古典名著《红楼梦》对此也有相关描述。今天我就和大家一起来聊一聊《红楼梦》中的消暑果品。
Watermelon
西瓜
In the 31th chapter of The Story of Stone, Qing Wen, Jia Baoyu's servant girl, said to Jia Baoyu, one of the main character in The Story of Stone, "Yuan Yang (a servant girl of Jia Baoyu's grandmother) brought us lots of fruits, which are iced in the crystal jar." "Fruits" here refer to watermelons, which are crisp, sweet and juicy. Watermelons taste even cooler after freezing in the water, which is an indispensable summer delicacy.
《红楼梦》第三十一回，晴雯对贾宝玉说：“才刚鸳鸯送了好些果子来，都湃在那水晶缸里呢。”这里的“果子”指的就是西瓜。西瓜清爽解暑，甘甜多汁，冰镇过后更是清凉无比，是夏日消暑的上乘之选。
Litchi
荔枝
Litchi the most precious fruit in The Story of stone. In the 37th chapter, Jia Baoyu sent litchi with an exquisite utensil to his sister Jia Tanchun and said, "This plate matches well with fresh litchi." Litchi, which is ripe during the June-July period, has many positive functions, such as helping produce saliva and slake thirst, strengthening spleen, promoting digestion, and stimulating appetite.
要说《红楼梦》中最珍贵的水果，非荔枝莫属。《红楼梦》第三十七回提到，贾宝玉得了荔枝，给妹妹贾探春送去，并搭配精致的器皿，说：“这个碟子配上鲜荔枝才好看。”荔枝，在每年的6月到7月份成熟，生津止渴，开胃益脾，有促进食欲的功效。
Grapes
葡萄
There are many chapters describing grapes in The Story of Stone. A large number of grape trees are planted at the Grand View Garden. Grape, sweet and refreshing, is one of the best fruits to relieve summer heat. Eating grapes could help stimulate appetite and strengthen spleen in summer.
在《红楼梦》一书里，葡萄是时常出现的水果之一，就连大观园里也栽种着不少葡萄树。葡萄是夏季水果的最佳选择之一，清甜爽口，降温解暑。在食欲不振的夏天，吃上几颗葡萄，有助于开胃健脾。
In addition to the fruits mentioned above, there are still many fruits described in The Story of Stone. I will not give you an example one by one here because the time is limited.
除了这些水果以外，《红楼梦》中提到的水果还有许多，在此不一一例举。
Minor heat, a time when summer builds up its intensity, has begun. Although summer fruits are delicious, we can not eat too much.
时值小暑，热浪袭人。水果虽好，可别贪多。（杨佳欣 何蒙贺）