The definition of "saving famine is better than preparing famine, which is nothing more than emergency farming time" refers to spring ploughing, summer sowing and autumn harvest. It means: instead of waiting for famine to come and trying to remedy it, it is better to take precautions before it is too late, and the best way to prevent it is to seize the farming season.
The natural disasters in ancient China were very serious, and foreigners once called China a "famine country". According to incomplete statistics, only the Qing Dynasty caused disasters 1 12 1 times. In the long-term disaster relief process in ancient China, the state formulated a series of laws and policies, which were institutionalized and passed down from generation to generation, and became more perfect in the Qing Dynasty.
China's ancient treasury is deeply influenced by people-oriented thought, and its characteristics are mainly three: first, the state regulates the operation principle of the market; Second, the operating mechanism of the state as the mainstay and the society as the supplement; Third, an institutional system with public ownership as the main body. These three characteristics are still of referential significance to the reconstruction of China's modern social security system.
The best way to prevent famine is to seize the busy farming season. Agricultural production is closely related to seasons and astronomical phenomena. The knowledge of ancient astronomical calendars in China was accumulated in the practice of agricultural production, which directly served agricultural production.
Therefore, the great wisdom of the ancients was summed up through constant experience. As the saying goes, "It is better to take precautions than to mend them, which is worth learning from in our time."