Seasonal Dressing Wisdom
Seasonal Dressing Wisdom
There are four seasons, each with varying temperatures. Clothing should change accordingly. The *Lao Lao Heng Yan* says: "In the periods of Yu, Xia, Shang, and Zhou, the elderly were dressed differently according to season—recorded in the *Book of Rites*. Ultimately, clothing should provide warmth and comfort."
With spring arriving, temperatures rise gradually. Clothes should be reduced cautiously. Typically, thick cotton coats are shed and replaced with thinner cotton, fleece, or wool garments. Spring dressing changes require caution. Despite warming weather, temperature fluctuations are unpredictable—morning and evening temperatures differ greatly from midday, and thermal shifts are irregular. Folk wisdom says: "Spring warmth, autumn chill"—meaning do not rush to shed heavy clothes in spring, nor hastily add cotton coats in autumn. After a long winter relying on cotton coats for warmth, sudden removal may shock the skin. If cold weather follows, rapid clothing reduction increases the risk of catching colds or flu. Thus, spring clothing changes should follow gradual temperature shifts—otherwise, one risks joining the ranks of summer flu victims.
In hot summers, high temperatures demand consideration of both aesthetics and coolness. Generally, summer clothing is easy to choose—any fabric with good sweat-wicking and weak heat absorption properties will suffice.
Fall is crisp and refreshing, with temperatures dropping. The key to dressing is "remove quickly when hot, add quickly when cold—better than taking medicine." That is, adjust clothing promptly with temperature changes to avoid illness. Yet heed the principle of "autumn chill": autumn transitions into winter, temperatures steadily fall. When cold sets in, don’t immediately don thick cotton coats—otherwise, you’ll have no room to layer up in winter. Instead, deliberately endure early autumn chills, allowing skin to gradually adapt to cooler temperatures, thus preparing for winter’s harsh cold. If you immediately wear heavy clothes at first cold snap, skin lacks necessary training. Then, when winter arrives, it cannot withstand the cold, weakening the body’s cold resistance and making illness more likely.
In winter, temperatures plummet, differing from body temperature by tens of degrees. Without adequate insulation, cold becomes overwhelming. In cold environments, respiratory heat loss increases, creating heat deficit, disrupting thermal balance, and impairing temperature regulation—making disease highly probable. Winter clothing must prioritize warmth and wind protection. If cold wind penetrates clothing, it disrupts the static air layers between fabric fibers and beneath the garment, reducing insulation. Thus, outer winter wear should use dense, low-breathability fabrics like wool, fur, or leather. Second, good moisture absorption is needed to facilitate sweat evaporation from the skin. Third, some breathability remains essential. Generally, winter clothing needs less breathability than summer, but must still allow internal sweat to escape—especially innerwear, ideally pure cotton knits. Fourth, multiple layers are better: more layers create additional insulating air pockets, providing warmth and enabling easy adjustment to temperature changes.