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LEARN · 24 SOLAR TERMS

The 24 Solar Terms

Twenty four equal segments dividing the solar year into precise seasonal markers, each with its own elemental signature, organ activation, and Traditional Chinese Medicine seasonal living guidance.

What are the 24 Solar Terms?

The Chinese solar calendar divides the year into twenty four solar terms, each marking a fifteen degree segment of the sun's annual ecliptic path. Each term begins on an astronomically determined date that varies by no more than one day across centuries. The terms guide agriculture, medicine, ritual, and daily living throughout much of East Asia.

Each solar term carries a distinct elemental signature, an organ activation in TCM theory (the spring liver, summer heart, late summer spleen, autumn lung, winter kidney), and traditional dietary and lifestyle practices that support the active organ system. The terms also set the true month boundaries used in Chinese astrology. This page indexes all twenty four terms with their dates, energetic themes, and seasonal living guidance.

Spring (Wood, Liver)

Six solar terms from the Beginning of Spring through Grain Rain. The liver and gallbladder activate; yang energy rises from beneath the earth.

No. 1
Beginning of Spring
Lichun
February 3 to 5
No. 2
Rain Water
Yushui
February 18 to 20
No. 3
Awakening of Insects
Jingzhe
March 5 to 7
No. 4
Spring Equinox
Chunfen
March 20 to 22
No. 5
Clear and Bright
Qingming
April 4 to 6
No. 6
Grain Rain
Guyu
April 19 to 21

Summer (Fire, Heart)

Six solar terms from the Beginning of Summer through Greater Heat. The heart and small intestine activate; yang reaches its peak at summer solstice.

No. 7
Beginning of Summer
Lixia
May 5 to 7
No. 8
Lesser Fullness
Xiaoman
May 20 to 22
No. 9
Grain in Ear
Mangzhong
June 5 to 7
No. 10
Summer Solstice
Xiazhi
June 21 to 22
No. 11
Lesser Heat
Xiaoshu
July 6 to 8
No. 12
Greater Heat
Dashu
July 22 to 24

Autumn (Metal, Lung)

Six solar terms from the Beginning of Autumn through Frost Descent. The lung and large intestine activate; yang retreats; harvest concludes.

No. 13
Beginning of Autumn
Liqiu
August 7 to 9
No. 14
End of Heat
Chushu
August 22 to 24
No. 15
White Dew
Bailu
September 7 to 9
No. 16
Autumn Equinox
Qiufen
September 22 to 24
No. 17
Cold Dew
Hanlu
October 8 to 9
No. 18
Frost Descent
Shuangjiang
October 23 to 24

Winter (Water, Kidney)

Six solar terms from the Beginning of Winter through Greater Cold. The kidney and bladder activate; yin reaches its peak at winter solstice; the body conserves essence.

No. 19
Beginning of Winter
Lidong
November 7 to 8
No. 20
Lesser Snow
Xiaoxue
November 21 to 23
No. 21
Greater Snow
Daxue
December 6 to 8
No. 22
Winter Solstice
Dongzhi
December 21 to 23
No. 23
Lesser Cold
Xiaohan
January 5 to 7
No. 24
Greater Cold
Dahan
January 19 to 21

Frequently asked questions

What are the 24 solar terms?
The 24 solar terms are the markers of the traditional Chinese solar calendar, each dividing the sun's annual path into a fifteen-degree segment. They begin on astronomically fixed dates that shift by no more than a day across centuries, and they have guided farming, medicine, ritual and daily life across East Asia for over two thousand years. Examples include the Beginning of Spring, the Summer Solstice, the Autumn Equinox and the Greater Cold.
How do the solar terms relate to Chinese astrology?
The solar terms set the true boundaries of the Chinese astrological months. In a BaZi or Four Pillars chart the month pillar changes on the solar term that begins each month, not on the lunar new moon, which is why precise birth timing matters. The terms also carry the seasonal flow of yin and yang and the five elements that the whole system reads.
How are the 24 solar terms grouped by season?
They divide evenly into the four seasons, six terms each. Spring runs from the Beginning of Spring through Grain Rain and belongs to Wood and the liver; summer to Fire and the heart; autumn to Metal and the lung; and winter to Water and the kidney. Each season opens with a "Beginning of" term and turns at its solstice or equinox.
Which organ does each solar term affect in Traditional Chinese Medicine?
In TCM each season activates a paired organ system: the liver and gallbladder in spring, the heart and small intestine in summer, the spleen and stomach in late summer, the lung and large intestine in autumn, and the kidney and bladder in winter. Each individual solar term refines this further with its own dietary and lifestyle guidance to support the active organ.
How do I use the solar terms for seasonal living?
Each term suggests foods and practices that align with the season's active organ and element, such as gentle stretching and sour flavours to support the liver in spring, or warming foods and earlier rest to conserve kidney essence in winter. Open any term in the index to read its energy theme, the organ it activates, the foods to emphasize and the practices that suit the period.
THE SYSTEM

Where this fits in Chinese astrology

The calendar backbone: 24 seasonal markers that set the month boundaries of your chart.

Chinese Astrology Guide →Your Energy ChartAnnual Forecasts