The 24 solar terms divide the year into twenty-four segments by the sun’s position — each term is a fixed point in the earth’s orbit, so the solar terms track the seasons far more accurately than any moon-based calendar can. The system is so precise that it was inscribed on the UNESCO intangible heritage list in 2016, and it is still used today by farmers, doctors and feng shui practitioners.
The year in twenty-four beats
The cycle begins with the Start of Spring (立春) and moves through the classical rhythm of the seasons. The most familiar terms:
- Start of Spring 立春 — the year’s beginning in the almanac; the day the zodiac year turns.
- Vernal Equinox 春分 — day and night equal; balance, planting begins in earnest.
- Grain Rain 谷雨 — the rains that feed the seedlings; the farmer’s busiest window.
- Start of Summer 立夏 — heat rising; the season of growth and fire.
- Start of Autumn 立秋 — the turn toward harvest and metal; the year’s second hinge.
- Winter Solstice 冬至 — the longest night, and the classical turning point: from here, yang returns.
- Major Cold 大寒 — the year’s coldest point, and the gate to the next cycle.
How they are still used
- Farming — the classic use: each term carries its planting and harvesting instruction, still quoted in rural China.
- Medicine — traditional Chinese medicine reads the seasons through the terms: the liver in spring, the heart in summer, the lungs in autumn, the kidneys in winter.
- Feng shui and the almanac — the solar terms set the month pillars of every chart and the boundaries of the almanac year. The almanac’s month pillar is named by the term, not the calendar month.
- Daily life — diet, sleep and exercise are classically adjusted to the terms: eat warming food as winter approaches, light meals as summer peaks.
The practical takeaway
The solar terms are a reminder that the sun’s year and the moon’s year are different rhythms — and that the almanac lives in both. Today’s term is shown on the almanac page, with its season’s guidance in plain English.
Dig deeper: the feng shui compass — free, deterministic and in plain English.