The 24 Solar Terms
Ancient wisdom, observed in nature. Twenty-four solar terms divide the year into subtle shifts of climate, life, and energy.
Climate Shift
Each term marks a measurable change: rising or falling temperatures, shifts in rainfall, the first or last frost. These are not symbolic — they are things you can feel, measure, and prepare for.
Biological Shift
Plants respond to these shifts with buds, flowers, fruit, and dormancy. Animals respond with migration, breeding, hibernation. The calendar follows life, not the other way around.
Human Activity Shift
What we eat, how we move, what we plant, and what we protect all change with the terms. These are not cultural traditions — they are adaptive responses to a changing environment.
The 24 solar terms are not 24 articles. They are 24 transition points — each marking a real shift in climate, biology, and what makes sense for a human body to do. Learn more about solar terms →
This is the structure view — terms grouped by season. For a chronological list by date, see Annual Calendar. The current term is highlighted below when JavaScript is available.
Spring · The Season of Growth
From the first stirrings of life to abundance in all directions.
Clear and Bright
清明
Apr 5 – Apr 19
Skies clear after spring rain. The landscape turns vivid green. Light is no longer tentative — spring is fully established and growing fast.
Grain Rain
谷雨
Apr 20 – May 5
Rain nourishes the earth and seeds root deeply. The last spring term before summer's heat arrives, when growth shifts from tentative to unstoppable.
Insects Awaken
惊蛰
Mar 6 – Mar 20
Spring thunder wakes the soil. Insects emerge from below ground — the first loud proof that winter is truly over and life has resumed.
Spring Equinox
春分
Mar 21 – Apr 4
Day and night stand equal. What was budding now begins to leaf and flower — growth accelerates as light overtakes darkness.
Rain Water
雨水
Feb 19 – Mar 5
Snow turns to rain. The earth softens and drinks deeply, preparing to receive the seeds of spring.
Start of Spring
立春
Feb 4 – Feb 18
Ice melts and the ground softens. The year's first growth begins underground — before it becomes visible, the soil is already waking.
Summer · The Season of Fullness
Growth reaches its peak. Heat demands adaptation, and the body seeks cooling.
Grain Full
小满
May 21 – Jun 5
Grains begin to swell but are not yet mature — abundance is visible but not yet complete.
Grain in Ear
芒种
Jun 6 – Jun 20
Wheat ripens for harvest and summer rice is planted — peak agricultural intensity arrives.
Major Heat
大暑
Jul 22 – Aug 7
Peak heat arrives. This is the hottest term of the year, when survival itself requires adaptation.
Minor Heat
小暑
Jul 7 – Jul 21
Heat intensifies across the land. Monsoon rains arrive, fireflies begin their evening light show, and the world enters the season of sustained warmth.
Start of Summer
立夏
May 6 – May 20
Summer begins. Growth reaches full speed. Rising heat and lengthening days shift the body's needs from building warmth to managing it.
Summer Solstice
夏至
Jun 21 – Jul 6
The longest day of the year. Yang energy peaks, then begins its subtle turn toward yin — the descent hidden inside the height.
Autumn · The Season of Gathering
The harvest peaks. The air dries, and the body begins its slow turn inward.
Autumn Equinox
秋分
Sep 23 – Oct 7
Day and night are equal once again. The autumn midpoint arrives as tree colors peak and the harvest reaches its fullest moment.
Frost Descent
霜降
Oct 24 – Nov 7
First frost crystallizes on exposed surfaces. Leaves fall in earnest. The final visible preparations for winter cannot be delayed any longer.
Cold Dew
寒露
Oct 8 – Oct 23
Cold arrives visibly — dew turns cold and the first frost threatens northern regions.
Limit of Heat
处暑
Aug 23 – Sep 7
Summer heat retreats as humidity drops. Crisp mornings signal the true arrival of autumn energy after the long months of warmth.
Start of Autumn
立秋
Aug 8 – Aug 22
The first cool breeze breaks summer's grip. The quality of light shifts before the temperature does — autumn announces itself subtly, then decisively.
White Dew
白露
Sep 8 – Sep 22
Morning dew becomes visible as temperatures drop — the first visible sign of autumn's approach.
Winter · The Season of Storage
The land rests under frost. The body conserves its deepest energy for the spring ahead.
Major Cold
大寒
Jan 20 – Feb 3
The deepest freeze of the year. The final push of winter before spring's return becomes visible.
Minor Snow
小雪
Nov 22 – Dec 6
Light snow begins to fall. Grey skies settle in as the landscape transforms from bare to covered under the first dusting of winter.
Major Snow
大雪
Dec 7 – Dec 21
Heavy snow blankets the landscape. Rivers freeze and the world enters deep winter silence.
Minor Cold
小寒
Jan 6 – Jan 19
The coldest phase of the year begins — not a brief chill but sustained deep freeze. The body conserves; the land waits under ice.
Start of Winter
立冬
Nov 8 – Nov 21
Winter begins as soil freezes and the first snowfall becomes possible. Time to turn inward and store energy.
Winter Solstice
冬至
Dec 22 – Jan 5
The longest night of the year. In the deepest darkness, yang energy quietly returns — the seed of spring planted at winter's heart.
The Four Seasonal Arcs
Read this as a compressed map of the year. The cards above show individual terms; this table shows the broader seasonal direction each group of six terms belongs to.
| Season | Pattern | What shifts most | Where to start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Awakening: thaw, bud, emergence | Temperature and soil activity rising | Start of Spring — prepare soil, start seeds |
| Summer | Expansion: growth, heat, abundance | Body needs shift from building warmth to managing heat | Start of Summer — establish cooling routines |
| Autumn | Consolidation: harvest, color, retreat | Light and temperature declining; body turning inward | Start of Autumn — begin storing and curing |
| Winter | Conservation: freeze, stillness, storage | Energy turns inward; rest becomes active practice | Start of Winter — protect, store, rest |
Stay in Rhythm
One email every solar term: one action, one recipe, one movement. No noise. Just timing.