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24 Solar Terms in Chinese Culture

4 years ago
24 Solar Terms
Chinese Month and Date
Remarks
Start of Spring
lì chūn 立春 Feb 4th
A dubiously premature name, as it's not the beginning of spring in most of China; only in the extreme south.
Rain Water
yǔ shuǐ 雨水 Feb 19th
There is an increase of rainfall from then on.
Awakening of Insects
jīng zhé 惊蛰 Mar 5th
Thunder begins and hibernating insects wake up.
Vernal Equinox
chūn fēn 春分 Mar 20st
With an equal length of day and night.
Clear and Bright
qīng míng 清明 Apr 4th
It is clear and bright (when it's not raining), and the weather becomes noticeably warmer. A misnomer, particularly in southern China.
Grain Rain
gǔ yǔ 谷雨 Apr 19th
The early crops show their shoots.
Start of Summer
lì xià 立夏 May 5th
The beginning of summer (in southern China).
Small Full (Grain)
xiǎo mǎn 小满 May 20st
The seeds of summer crops begin to become plump, but are not yet ripe.
Grain in Ear
máng zhǒng 芒种
Jun 5th
The wheat becomes ripe; and the summer planting starts (in southern China).
Summer Solstice
xià zhì 夏至 Jun 21st
The daytime is the longest and the nighttime is the shortest of the year.
Minor Heat
xiǎo shǔ 小暑 Jul 6th
The beginning of the hottest period. 
Major Heat
dà shǔ 大暑 Jul 22rd
It is the time of year when the duration of the sunshine is the longest, the average temperature is the highest, the rainfall is the greatest, and the thunderstorms are the most frequent (in some parts of northern China).
Start of Autumn
lì qiū 立秋 Aug 7th
An anomaly: nowhere is this true. Like the "start of spring" it is about a month premature.
Limit of Heat
chù shǔ 处暑 Aug 22rd
The end of the hot summer.
White Dew
bái lù 白露 Sep 7th
The transition from summer to autumn. The temperature drops sharply, and the autumn rains come.
Autumnal Equinox
qiū fēn 秋分 Sep 22rd
With an equal length of day and night.
Cold Dew
hán lù 寒露 Oct 8th
The weather becomes cold enough to reach dew point, but not cold enough to reach frost point.
Frost Descent
shuāng jiàng 霜降 Oct 23rd
The weather becomes cold and frost begins to form (in North China).
Start of Winter
lì dōng 立冬 Nov 7th
True of northern China, but winter comes later in the south.
Minor Snow
xiǎo xuě 小雪 Nov 22nd
Snow begins to fall, the weather becomes cold.
Major Snow
dà xuě 大雪 Dec 7th
It snows heavily for the first time in the year (in northern China).
Winter Solstice
dōng zhì 冬至 Dec 21nd
The daytime is the shortest and the nighttime is the longest of the year.
Minor Cold
xiǎo hán 小寒 Jan 5th, 2021
The weather rapidly reaches its coldest.
Major Cold
dà hán 大寒 Jan 20th, 2021
'Major Cold' It is the coldest time of the year.
The terms consist of 12 pairs of major (sectional) and minor (middle) solar terms interlaced with each other., namely The 24 solar terms embody a complete circle of the sun and divide the circle into 24 segments, with each segment being about half a month long. In both the lunar and solar calendars, the Gregorian calendar date of each solar term is basically fixed, with minor differences of within one or two days.