Solar Terms · Cosmos · Canon | Muzi Chinese Matrix

Beginning of SpringFirst of the solar terms: the east wind thaws the ice and the farming year begins

Rain WaterSnow gives way to rain and plants begin to bud

Awakening of InsectsSpring thunder wakes the hibernating insects and ploughing begins

Spring EquinoxDay and night are equal; spring is half gone and the swallows return

Clear and BrightClear skies and spring sowing: both a solar term and a festival

Grain RainRain that nurtures the grain: the last term of spring

Beginning of SummerSummer begins; crops grow fast and the summer harvest takes shape

Grain BudsWheat grains fill but are not yet ripe; rivers rise

Grain in EarReap the bearded wheat, sow the bearded rice

Summer SolsticeShortest noon shadow, longest day: high summer approaches

Minor HeatThe heat begins; the plum rains end and the dog days start

Major HeatThe hottest time of year, when rain and heat come together

Beginning of AutumnAutumn begins: cool winds arrive and crops start to ripen

End of HeatThe heat ends here and the autumn harvest begins

White DewDew turns white, autumn deepens and birds fly south

Autumn EquinoxDay and night are equal again: the autumn rush and the harvest festival

Cold DewDew grows cold and near to frost; harvest and sowing are in full swing

Frost DescentThe last term of autumn: dew turns to frost and leaves fall

Beginning of WinterWinter begins: things are stored away as water and ground freeze

Minor SnowFirst snows come, the ground freezes and pickling begins

Major SnowSnow now abounds, blanketing the winter wheat

Winter SolsticeLongest shadow, shortest day: the sun begins its return

Minor ColdBitter cold of the third nine, heralded by plum blossom

Major ColdThe last term and the coldest: out with the old before the New Year

The twenty-four solar terms change over when the sun reaches a given ecliptic longitude, one every 15 degrees: the Spring Equinox point is at 0 degrees, Beginning of Spring at 315, the Summer Solstice at 90, the Winter Solstice at 270 and Major Cold at 300. Their names appear in the Huainanzi, and the Taichu calendar built them into the calendar.

Spring has Beginning of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright and Grain Rain; summer has Beginning of Summer, Grain Buds, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat and Major Heat; autumn has Beginning of Autumn, End of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew and Frost Descent; and winter has Beginning of Winter, Minor Snow, Major Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold and Major Cold.

Under each term are set down its three pentads and its farm work. For Beginning of Spring, the three pentads are the east wind thawing the ice, hibernating insects stirring, and fish rising to the ice; in the fields winter wheat slowly turns green and farmers everywhere begin to prepare. Around Clear and Bright is an important time for spring ploughing and sowing, and a farm saying runs "around Qingming, plant melons and sow beans". At Grain Buds the grain of winter wheat in the north begins to fill, and a saying runs "if Xiaoman is not full, the field ridges dry and crack".

The terms also carry festivals and customs: at Beginning of Spring there is the custom of whipping the spring ox; Clear and Bright is both a solar term and a festival, with sweeping graves, honouring ancestors and outings in the country as its main customs; and the Winter Solstice has been an important festival since the Han, with dumplings eaten in the north and sweet rice dumplings in the south.

Solar Terms is the class in the chapter on Cosmos on the twenty-four marks into which the year is divided by the position of the sun, from Beginning of Spring to Major Cold, each with its own name, its signs in nature and its farm work. The class is divided by the twenty-four terms, one branch for each.