A nursery rhyme of these times which goes: "Spin the top while the willows grow, fly kites while they ripen and play with shuttlecocks when they wither," sums up the popularity of the game in the springtime. People living in southern Kiangsu called the top di ling, or literally "earth spirit" because it was so popular, particularly in the springtime.
江南人對陀螺有另一種稱呼：「地靈」，這是因為陀螺能在地上靈活旋轉，顯得很有生氣。尤其在春天，萬物生長，到處生意盎然，玩「地靈」正是時候，江南人不分大人小孩都樂此不疲。