Solar Terms
Beginning of Spring
Rain Water
Awakening of Insects
Spring Equinox
Clear and Bright
Grain Rain
Beginning of Summer
Grain Buds
Grain in Ear
Summer Solstice
Minor Heat
Major Heat
Beginning of Autumn
End of Heat
White Dew
Autumn Equinox
Cold Dew
Frost Descent
Beginning of Winter
Minor Snow
Major Snow
Winter Solstice
Minor Cold
Major Cold
Beginning of SpringRain WaterAwakening of InsectsSpring EquinoxClear and BrightGrain RainBeginning of SummerGrain BudsGrain in EarSummer SolsticeMinor HeatMajor HeatBeginning of AutumnEnd of HeatWhite DewAutumn EquinoxCold DewFrost DescentBeginning of WinterMinor SnowMajor SnowWinter SolsticeMinor ColdMajor ColdMajor Cold
The cold at its extreme
Introduction
The last term and the coldest: out with the old before the New Year
Major Cold is the last of the twenty-four solar terms, beginning when the sun reaches 300° of ecliptic longitude, around 20–21 January; its name means the cold at its extreme. Its three pentads are hens beginning to lay, birds of prey flying fierce and swift, and lakes and marshes freezing solid. Field work is scarce: the north gathers manure and protects livestock from the cold, the south protects wheat and cash crops, and dry areas irrigate when needed. As the Spring Festival approaches, households sweep away the dust, worship the kitchen god and buy New Year goods.
Timeline
- 139 BCEOriginThe Western Han Huainanzi (Tianwen xun, c. 139 BCE) sets out the twenty-four terms by the pointing of the Dipper's handle, recording 'fifteen days on, it points to chou: Major Cold', the earliest systematic attestation of Major Cold.
- 104 BCEEvolutionWith the Taichu calendar of 104 BCE under Emperor Wu of Han, the twenty-four solar terms entered the official calendar, and Major Cold became a fixed term in it.
- 1645EvolutionIn 1645 the Qing Shixian calendar replaced equal time division with the true-longitude rule, fixing Major Cold at the moment the sun reaches 300° of ecliptic longitude, as it still is today.
Heritage Listings
- 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · X-68 Twenty-Four Solar Terms of the Lunar Calendar · nominated by the China Agricultural Museum · collective item
- 2016UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of HumanityThe Twenty-Four Solar Terms · knowledge in China of time and practices developed through observation of the sun's annual motion · collective inscription