The 24 Solar Terms (節氣) Explained
The 24 solar terms (二十四節氣) split the sun's year into 24 equal 15° steps, from Lichun (start of spring, around 4 February) to Dahan (major cold, around 20 January). They were designed for farming near the Yellow River, not for Taiwan — several barely apply here.
What a solar term actually is
A solar term marks the moment the sun's apparent ecliptic longitude reaches a multiple of 15°. There are 360° in a full orbit, so 360 ÷ 15 = 24 terms, spaced roughly 15 days apart. This makes them purely solar: unlike Lunar New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival, which follow the moon and drift by weeks each year, a solar term's Gregorian date moves by at most a day or two.
They were codified more than two thousand years ago to schedule sowing, harvesting and irrigation in northern China. Names like Jingzhe (awakening of insects), Guyu (grain rain) and Shuangjiang (descent of frost) describe a temperate, four-season agricultural calendar — not the subtropical and tropical climate most of Taiwan actually has. See the full solar term calendar for every date through 2035.
The 24 terms, in order
| # | Chinese | English | Usual date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 立春 Lichun | Start of spring | 4–5 Feb |
| 2 | 雨水 Yushui | Rain water | 18–19 Feb |
| 3 | 驚蟄 Jingzhe | Awakening of insects | 5–6 Mar |
| 4 | 春分 Chunfen | Spring equinox | 20–21 Mar |
| 5 | 清明 Qingming | Pure brightness | 4–5 Apr |
| 6 | 穀雨 Guyu | Grain rain | 19–20 Apr |
| 7 | 立夏 Lixia | Start of summer | 5–6 May |
| 8 | 小滿 Xiaoman | Grain full | 20–21 May |
| 9 | 芒種 Mangzhong | Grain in ear | 5–6 Jun |
| 10 | 夏至 Xiazhi | Summer solstice | 21–22 Jun |
| 11 | 小暑 Xiaoshu | Minor heat | 6–7 Jul |
| 12 | 大暑 Dashu | Major heat | 22–23 Jul |
| 13 | 立秋 Liqiu | Start of autumn | 7–8 Aug |
| 14 | 處暑 Chushu | End of heat | 22–23 Aug |
| 15 | 白露 Bailu | White dew | 7–8 Sep |
| 16 | 秋分 Qiufen | Autumn equinox | 22–23 Sep |
| 17 | 寒露 Hanlu | Cold dew | 8–9 Oct |
| 18 | 霜降 Shuangjiang | Descent of frost | 23–24 Oct |
| 19 | 立冬 Lidong | Start of winter | 7–8 Nov |
| 20 | 小雪 Xiaoxue | Minor snow | 22–23 Nov |
| 21 | 大雪 Daxue | Major snow | 6–7 Dec |
| 22 | 冬至 Dongzhi | Winter solstice | 21–22 Dec |
| 23 | 小寒 Xiaohan | Minor cold | 5–6 Jan |
| 24 | 大寒 Dahan | Major cold | 20–21 Jan |
Dates are the range each term usually falls in; the exact day can shift by one, occasionally two, from year to year. For a specific year's exact dates, see the solar term calendar.
Why they describe northern China, not Taiwan
The names are the giveaway. Shuangjiang means "frost descends" and Daxue means "major snow" — neither happens in lowland Taiwan, where a Taipei December morning sits well above freezing. Meanwhile Lidong, "start of winter", falls in early November, which in Taiwan is often still warm, humid, and inside the tail of typhoon season, not a season change by any local measure.
The mismatch exists because the terms were fixed to a specific temperate latitude and never re-derived for the island. Taiwan's own seasonal markers — the plum rain season in May–June, typhoon season from July to October, and a mild, short winter — follow a different rhythm entirely. Content that copies the solar-term calendar and calls it "Taiwan's seasons" is repeating a script written 2,000 years ago for a different climate zone.
Where the solar terms still matter
Two terms survive as public-facing customs in Taiwan: Qingming, when families visit ancestral graves (see Qingming festival dates), and the Winter Solstice, marked by eating sweet rice balls (tangyuan) — see winter solstice in Taiwan. Farming almanacs (農民曆) still print all 24 for planting guidance, and some fengshui and BaZi (Four Pillars) astrology systems use Lichun, not Lunar New Year's Day, as the zodiac year boundary — see Lichun and the zodiac year.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 24 solar terms?
A set of 24 points spaced 15 degrees apart along the sun's apparent yearly path, first used to schedule farming in the Yellow River valley of northern China roughly 2,000 years ago. Each one marks a fixed moment, not a Chinese-calendar month, so its Gregorian date barely moves from year to year.
Do the solar terms fall on the same date every year?
Almost. Because they are defined by the sun's position rather than the moon, each term's Gregorian date shifts by at most a day or two across years, unlike lunar festivals such as Lunar New Year, which move by weeks.
Do the 24 solar terms make sense for Taiwan's climate?
Not well. They were designed for the cold, dry, four-season climate around the Yellow River, not Taiwan's subtropical and tropical climate. Lidong (start of winter) in early November is one of Taiwan's warmest, most humid stretches, and several terms named for frost or snow describe weather most of Taiwan rarely sees.
Which solar term marks the Chinese zodiac year, not Lunar New Year?
Lichun, the start of spring around 4 February. Some Chinese astrology systems (particularly BaZi, the Four Pillars) treat Lichun as the zodiac year boundary rather than Lunar New Year's Day, which can put a baby born between Lichun and Lunar New Year in a different zodiac year than the calendar year suggests.
Are the solar terms still used in Taiwan today?
Yes, mainly in farming almanacs, traditional medicine, and folk customs — tomb-sweeping at Qingming and eating tangyuan near the Winter Solstice are the two most visible survivals. They are not part of Taiwan's official public holiday calendar.
Related
- Solar term calendar 2026–2035 — exact yearly dates for all 24 terms
- Lichun and the zodiac year — why some astrologers count from 4 February, not Lunar New Year
- Qingming festival dates — the solar term that is also a public holiday
- Winter solstice (冬至) in Taiwan — the other solar term everyone still marks
- Taiwan weather by month — the climate pattern the solar terms don't capture
- ROC year converter — convert any date between ROC and Western years