The 24 Solar Terms and Everyday Traditions
The 24 solar terms (二十四节气, èrshísì jiéqì) are twenty-four named points spread through the year, each marking a stage of the sun's annual path. Because they follow the sun rather than the moon, they fall near the same dates on the Western calendar every year: Lìchūn, the "Beginning of Spring," usually arrives around 3–5 February. The terms began as a farming calendar and still frame festivals and food customs across China, with clear differences from one region to the next. This page explains what the terms are, where the system came from, and how it appears in everyday traditions — as calendar culture, not health advice.
1. What a solar term is
A solar term (节气, jiéqì) is one of twenty-four named points in the year. Each term covers roughly fifteen days, and there are two in most months [S2]. Chinese sources commonly split them into twelve "section" terms (节, jié) and twelve "middle qi" terms (中气, zhōngqì), which alternate through the year [S9]. The compound 节气 is often glossed by the shape of 节, whose original meaning is a bamboo joint — a place where one segment meets the next — while 气 here refers to the phase or condition of the season, not to bodily "qi" in the medical sense [S9].
The most important thing for a newcomer to grasp is that the solar terms are solar. They are fixed by the sun's position, not by the moon, so they do not shift around the way the Lunar New Year or the Mid-Autumn Festival do. Each term begins when the sun reaches a set point along its apparent yearly path, the ecliptic, which is divided into 360 degrees. Twenty-four equal steps of 15 degrees give the twenty-four terms: the Spring Equinox sits at 0°, and Qīngmíng, one step later, at 15° [S2]. This is why a term such as Lìchūn falls on or near 3–5 February almost every year, and why the terms are described as having been "integrated into the Gregorian calendar" for daily use [S1].
2. The names and the calendar behind them
Each of the twenty-four terms has its own name, and the names are not decorative: most describe weather, crops, or the behaviour of plants and animals. The four that open each season share the character 立 (lì, "to begin"): Lìchūn (立春, "Beginning of Spring"), Lìxià (立夏, "Beginning of Summer"), Lìqiū (立秋, "Beginning of Autumn"), and Lìdōng (立冬, "Beginning of Winter"). Chinese sources call these the "four beginnings" (四立, sì lì) and note that they mark the astronomical start of a season, which is not the same as when the weather actually turns [S3].
Other names describe heat and cold by degree: there is a "Lesser Heat" and a "Greater Heat" in summer, and a "Lesser Cold" and a "Greater Cold" in winter. Still others name natural events — Rain Water, the Waking of Insects, White Dew, Cold Dew, Frost's Descent. A few are tied directly to farming. Mángzhòng (芒种, "Grain in Ear") is described by the China Meteorological Administration as the one solar term that directly guides farm work, because it names the point when "awned wheat must be harvested and awned rice can be planted" [S5]. Xiǎomǎn (小满, "Lesser Fullness of Grain") is explained through the classical line "物至于此小得盈满" — "things reach the point of small fullness" — and is read slightly differently in the north, where wheat grains are filling, and in the south, where river water is rising [S5].
3. Navigating the year by season
For readers holding twenty-four unfamiliar names in mind, the simplest way is to work in four blocks of six, by season. The table in section 7 sets this out; the shape is worth stating plainly here.
- Spring runs from Lìchūn (立春, Beginning of Spring) through Yǔshuǐ (雨水, Rain Water), Jīngzhé (惊蛰, the Waking of Insects), Chūnfēn (春分, the Spring Equinox), Qīngmíng (清明, Pure Brightness), and Gǔyǔ (谷雨, Grain Rain).
- Summer runs from Lìxià (立夏, Beginning of Summer) through Xiǎomǎn (小满, Lesser Fullness of Grain), Mángzhòng (芒种, Grain in Ear), Xiàzhì (夏至, Summer Solstice), Xiǎoshǔ (小暑, Lesser Heat), and Dàshǔ (大暑, Greater Heat).
- Autumn runs from Lìqiū (立秋, Beginning of Autumn) through Chǔshǔ (处暑, End of Heat), Báilù (白露, White Dew), Qiūfēn (秋分, Autumn Equinox), Hánlù (寒露, Cold Dew), and Shuāngjiàng (霜降, Frost's Descent).
- Winter runs from Lìdōng (立冬, Beginning of Winter) through Xiǎoxuě (小雪, Lesser Snow), Dàxuě (大雪, Greater Snow), Dōngzhì (冬至, Winter Solstice), Xiǎohán (小寒, Lesser Cold), and Dàhán (大寒, Greater Cold) — after which the cycle returns to Lìchūn [S1].
4. Where the system came from
The solar terms are associated with the Yellow River basin. UNESCO's description states that the element "originated in the Yellow River reaches of China," where the criteria were developed by observing seasonal, astronomical, and other natural changes before spreading nationwide, and that it "starts from the Beginning of Spring and ends with the Greater Cold, moving in cycles" [S1]. The coldest and warmest points of the year came first: according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' history institute, people in the Western Zhou and Spring-and-Autumn periods already used a gnomon (土圭, tǔguī) to observe the sun and fix Dōngzhì (Winter Solstice) and Xiàzhì (Summer Solstice), which together with the two equinoxes were "the earliest four solar terms" [S6].
The full set was recorded in the Huainanzi (淮南子), a Western Han text compiled under Liu An, in its "Tianwen Xun" chapter; Chinese state media describe this as the "earliest complete and scientific record" of the twenty-four terms [S7]. In 104 BC, under Emperor Wu, the Taichu calendar (太初历) formally built the terms into the calendar and fixed their astronomical positions [S4]. In 2016, UNESCO inscribed the Twenty-Four Solar Terms on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity [S1].
5. Local customs, and what the sources say
Not every solar term carries a custom, but several are strongly marked in daily life. Two are widely documented.
Qīngmíng (清明) is special among the terms: Chinese sources describe it as the only one that is at the same time a solar term and a major festival [S8]. As a solar term it appears in early texts; as a festival, 清明节 took shape in the Tang dynasty, when the tomb-sweeping of the Cold Food festival (寒食, Hánshí) and the spring outings of the Shangsi festival (上巳) were drawn together [S8]. Its timing is set by the sun — the People's Daily notes that the term arrives when the sun reaches 15° of ecliptic longitude, around 5 April [S8].
Dōngzhì (冬至, the Winter Solstice) is one of the terms first fixed by observation, and it was traditionally treated as a major occasion; sources cite the old saying "冬至大如年" — "the winter solstice is as big as the New Year" [S10]. Food customs differ sharply. In much of the north, the day is associated with dumplings (饺子, jiǎozi); in the south, with glutinous rice balls (汤圆, tāngyuán) [S10]. The northern dumpling habit is often linked to the story of the physician Zhang Zhongjing (张仲景), said to have made ear-shaped dumplings to help villagers whose ears had been frozen [S11]. That is a legend attached to a food custom, not evidence about the dish itself, and this page repeats it only as a traditional taleS11.
Two further customs are seasonal rather than tied to one day. At Lìchūn there is a long-standing habit of "biting spring" (咬春, yǎo chūn) — eating fresh vegetables and spring pancakes (春饼, chūnbǐng) to mark the turn of the year; one account traces the custom to the Han dynasty [S12]. At Lìqiū, northern custom includes 贴秋膘 (tiē qiūbiāo), roughly "putting on autumn weight," eating richer meat dishes after the hot summer; sources note this is especially a northern habit — associated with Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and the Northeast — and absent in some areas such as Inner Mongolia [S13].
6. The same term, different regions
A recurring point in the sources is that these customs are regional rather than national. Winter Solstice food divides north from south, with dumplings in the north and rice balls in the south [S10]. 贴秋膘 is described as a northern practice [S13]. Even the meaning of a single term can shift with geography: Xiǎomǎn is read in the north as wheat filling out, and in the south as rain swelling the rivers [S5]. A reader should therefore treat any list of "what Chinese people do at this term" as one regional account, not a rule for the whole country.
7. A cultural calendar, in words and a table
A "cultural calendar" of the solar terms can be presented as a table rather than as a picture. The table below pairs each season with its six terms, a plain English gloss, and one common association drawn from the sources above. The associations are regional customs or naming conventions; they are not health recommendations.
| Season | Term (汉字 / pinyin) | English gloss | Common association |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 立春 Lìchūn | Beginning of Spring | 咬春: fresh greens and spring pancakes (regional) [S12] |
| Spring | 雨水 Yǔshuǐ | Rain Water | rainfall gradually increases |
| Spring | 惊蛰 Jīngzhé | Waking of Insects | insects reappear as weather warms |
| Spring | 春分 Chūnfēn | Spring Equinox | day and night roughly equal |
| Spring | 清明 Qīngmíng | Pure Brightness | tomb-sweeping festival; solar term and festival in one [S8] |
| Spring | 谷雨 Gǔyǔ | Grain Rain | rain that helps grain grow |
| Summer | 立夏 Lìxià | Beginning of Summer | start of the astronomical summer [S3] |
| Summer | 小满 Xiǎomǎn | Lesser Fullness of Grain | wheat filling in the north; rising rivers in the south [S5] |
| Summer | 芒种 Mángzhòng | Grain in Ear | harvest awned wheat, plant awned rice [S5] |
| Summer | 夏至 Xiàzhì | Summer Solstice | longest day; one of the earliest terms fixed [S6] |
| Summer | 小暑 Xiǎoshǔ | Lesser Heat | heat builds |
| Summer | 大暑 Dàshǔ | Greater Heat | the hottest period |
| Autumn | 立秋 Lìqiū | Beginning of Autumn | 贴秋膘, a northern food custom [S13] |
| Autumn | 处暑 Chǔshǔ | End of Heat | heat begins to recede |
| Autumn | 白露 Báilù | White Dew | dew forms as nights cool |
| Autumn | 秋分 Qiūfēn | Autumn Equinox | day and night roughly equal |
| Autumn | 寒露 Hánlù | Cold Dew | dew turns cold |
| Autumn | 霜降 Shuāngjiàng | Frost's Descent | first frost approaches |
| Winter | 立冬 Lìdōng | Beginning of Winter | start of the astronomical winter [S3] |
| Winter | 小雪 Xiǎoxuě | Lesser Snow | light snow begins |
| Winter | 大雪 Dàxuě | Greater Snow | heavier snow |
| Winter | 冬至 Dōngzhì | Winter Solstice | shortest day; dumplings in the north, rice balls in the south [S10] |
| Winter | 小寒 Xiǎohán | Lesser Cold | cold deepens |
| Winter | 大寒 Dàhán | Greater Cold | last term; the cycle returns to Lìchūn [S1] |
8. What this page does not do
This page describes a calendar and the customs attached to it. It does not give seasonal health advice, does not explain how to "nourish" the body at each term, and does not say that any food or habit is good for you because of the season. The food customs above are recorded as cultural traditions, not as dietary or medical recommendations. Some popular writing links particular solar terms to specific health practices; that belongs to a different kind of page, and any health or dietary decision should be discussed with a qualified professional.
Sources
- [S1] The Twenty-Four Solar Terms as a national element originating in the Yellow River reaches; "starts from the Beginning of Spring and ends with the Greater Cold, moving in cycles"; "integrated into the Gregorian calendar." UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, "The Twenty-Four Solar Terms…" (Nomination No. 00647, decision 11.COM 10.B.6, inscribed 2016); 文化和旅游部 2016-12-14 通稿; 新华网 2016-12-01.
- [S2] Ecliptic divided into 360°; 15° per solar term; Spring Equinox at 0°, Qīngmíng at 15°. 香港天文台《二十四节气》; 中国科学院紫金山天文台历书科普; 中国气象局.
- [S3] The twenty-four names; the "four beginnings" (四立) and their approximate Gregorian dates. 中国气象局《24节气的来源和命名》.
- [S4] In 104 BC the Taichu calendar (太初历) formally fixed the terms in the calendar. 中国气象局; 央视网《二十四节气的科学记载与传承》.
- [S5] Mángzhòng as the term directly guiding farm work; Xiǎomǎn's north/south readings; 《月令七十二候集解》. 中国气象网 (CMA), 《二十四节气·芒种》《二十四节气·小满》.
- [S6] Dōngzhì and Xiàzhì first fixed by gnomon (土圭) observation; the earliest four terms. 中国历史研究院 (CASS), 《黄河流域冬至节的产生与变异》; 人民网文化频道.
- [S7] The Huainanzi "Tianwen Xun" as the earliest complete record; Liu An (Western Han). 人民日报海外版《〈淮南子〉与二十四节气的创立》; 央视网.
- [S8] Qīngmíng as the only solar term that is also a festival; festival formed in the Tang dynasty; merged Hánshí and Shangsi; term at 15° ecliptic longitude, around 5 April. 中国非物质文化遗产网·清明节; 人民日报海外版《清明：醇厚温情的春天仪式》; 中国民俗学网 (黄涛).
- [S9] Twelve 节 and twelve 中气 alternating; 节 originally meaning a bamboo joint. 人民论坛《二十四节气的文化哲学与时代意蕴》; 北京日报《什么是"节"，什么是"气"》.
- [S10] "冬至大如年"; northern dumplings / southern rice balls at Dōngzhì. 央视网《图说节令·冬至》; 光明网; 人民日报海外版《北方饺子，南方擂圆》.
- [S11] The Zhang Zhongjing "祛寒娇耳汤" dumpling legend. 人民日报海外版; 央广网《北方饺子更精致 南方吃法更多样》.
- [S12] Lìchūn "咬春" and spring pancakes (春饼); one account tracing the custom to the Han dynasty. 新华网《立春：一卷春饼，"咬"住春天》; 故宫博物院《二月节令饮馔之春饼》; 人民网.
- [S13] Lìqiū 贴秋膘 as a northern custom (Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Northeast; absent in Inner Mongolia). 人民网《迎秋、咬秋、晒秋……这份立秋的诗意请收下》; 人民日报海外版《二十四节气·立秋》.