The 24 Seasons of the Chinese Calendar
In the Chinese agricultural calendar, the annual cycle is divided into 24 solar terms. Each solat term lasts for about fifteen to sixteen days. The Chinese calendar combines elements of both the lunar and solar calendars. It is based on astronomical phenomena such as the alternation of day and night, the phases of the moon, and the changing seasons. It determines the beginning of agricultural activities, including the seasons for tea harvesting, and the celebration of traditional Chinese festivals, such as the New Year or the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the main calendar for peasants, the 24 solar terms were officially approved in the 3rd century during the Han Dynasty.
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The year in the Chinese agricultural calendar begins with the season of Li Chun, "Beginning of Spring," which falls between February 3rd and 5th and coincides with the Chinese New Year. From the season of Li Chun, the cycle of seasons begins - spring, summer, autumn, and then back to spring. The year concludes with the season of Da Han, "Greater Сold" which occurs annually between January 19th and 21st. With the arrival of the season of "Greater Сold," it's time for pre-New Year's preparations and reflections on the past year.
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The Chinese agricultural calendar is not only used by modern Chinese for various agricultural activities but also forms the basis of the Yan Shan calendar — a branch of traditional Chinese preventive medicine, including a set of guidelines for a healthy lifestyle, nutrition, and a long life free from diseases. For each season, it provides recommendations for maintaining health and advice on proper nutrition. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the human body is an integral organic whole closely connected to the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is essential to follow natural rhythms and cycles.
List of 24 Seasons:
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Season Name |
Approximate Date of the beginning |
Meaning |
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04.02 |
立春 Beginning of Spring. Winter gradually, though with difficulty, gives up its position; yet the imminent victory of spring is inevitable. It is said that life begins when water has risen. Spring is like a tree; it grows with water. Rain begins after winter. There will be more rain in the summer. |
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18.02 |
雨水 Rain Water. The cold weather gradually retreats, the spring warmth leads to melting of snow, humidity of air increases, the sun's rays become warmer, and rains pour onto the awakening earth. |
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06.03 |
惊蛰 Worms Awakening. The weather is getting warmer and warmer. The rolls of spring thunder wake up those slumbering in the ground and the insects in their shelters. In many areas of China, peach trees bloom with pink flowers, while plum trees blossom with white flowers. Everywhere you can hear the babble of birds. Farmers begin spring sowing. |
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18.03 |
春分 Spring Equinox. On the first day of this season, the length of the day is equal to the length of the night. The sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west. Here spring is divided into two parts. |
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05.04 |
清明 Clear and Light. Spring finally comes to its rights, the earth is covered with fresh greenery, and the air becomes incredibly clean and transparent, freely allowing the warm rays of the spring sun to pass through. In ancient books, it is said: "At this time, everything grows, everything is clear and light, therefore it is called Clear and Light." During this period, the weather gets warmer; plants and trees begin to grow; everything is bright and clear; the winds of this time blow from the southeast. Everything grows in the southeast, and the sun is beautiful. |
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19.04 |
谷雨 Grain Rain. Field work is in full swing during springtime. Nature itself ensures the most favourable conditions for the growth of crops - warm enough weather combined with spring rains. The abundance of solar heat and rain moisture lays a good basis for the autumn harvest. All living things enjoy spring warm, fresh and clean air. Bright green, absolutely amazing colour of grass and blooming leaves, spring flowers, and butterflies fluttering delight the eye. The singing of birds building their nests, delights the ears. |
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06.05 |
立夏 Beginning of Summer. This is the beginning of summer. Xia is a festival, so it's a celebration of growth. Summer only comes into its own right, but gradually the weather is getting warmer, the day length increases. |
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21.05 |
小满 Small Sprouts. The air temperature rises noticeably. There is an active filling with the life-giving juices of summer grains - barley and winter wheat, so the name of this season can be translated as “small filling” or “small saturation”. Everywhere there is a wild growth of herbs and weeds. The weather is hot and dry. In the regions of irrigated agriculture during this period it is extremely important to saturate the crops with moisture, which will ensure their further growth, help them to stand against weeds, and give strength to resist heat and dryness. |
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06.06 |
芒种 Grain in Beard. This is the most important period of ripening of cereals, when the plants give ears and are ready for reproduction. In many regions of China, harvesting of winter wheat and barley begins. Moreover, this is the optimal time for sowing lowland rice, millet and broomcorn millet. The length of the day increases visibly and gradually approaches its annual maximum. The air temperature is quite high, and in the low and middle basin of the Yangtze river there are “plum rains” (梅雨), which are accompanied here by an increase in humidity. Mosquitoes appear in large numbers. |
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21.06 |
夏至 Summer Solstice. The first day of this season is the summer solstice, that is, the longest day of the year. In the Chinese agricultural calendar, this day is considered the middle of summer, the time of maximum yang strength and yin weakness. From this point on, Yin Qi begins to grow, the days become shorter. There comes a period of summer heat, which will last until the beginning of autumn (August 7—9). Together with the rapid flowering of nature, harmful insects and poisonous creatures come to life, and the intense rays of the sun threaten to burn both creatures and humans to ashes. Under these conditions, protection from summer heat, harmful, poisonous and biting animals takes on special significance. |
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07.07 |
小暑 Lesser Heat. Every day it gets hotter and hotter. Throughout the Lesser Heat season, the temperature rises steadily to reach its annual maximum the next season of the Chinese agricultural calendar — the Greater Heat season. |
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23.07 |
大暑 Greater Heat . The very name of this season suggests that this is the hottest time of the year. In many regions of China, the temperature reaches 40°C. According to the Chinese solar agricultural calendar, this is the last season of summer. Autumn is coming very soon. From August 7–9 starts the first season of autumn, the Beginning of Autumn. In the meantime, summer does not want to give up its positions, and the scorching rays of the sun threaten to burn to ashes all alive. Greater Heat is the time for ripening of many crops. Nature itself takes care to give us products that help us withstand the summer heat. |
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08.08 |
立秋 Beginning of Autumn. Although the weather is still hot, the air temperature gradually decreases. Sometimes a cool wind blows. People say this: “A cool breeze appears from the first day of the Beginning of Autumn” (立秋之日凉风至). But this is only the very beginning of a gradual transition from summer heat to cool autumn. Autumn is just preparing for the full entry into its rights. Although autumn reminds of the inexorable approach of winter withering of nature, we don’t want to think about it, because the sun still shines quite brightly in the autumn months, and the onset of real winter cold is a long way off. In China, autumn is seen as a favoured season. It not only eliminates the summer heat and annoying insects, but also gives the harvest, the main result of all human agricultural activity. The fruits are ready to be harvested. |
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23.08 |
处暑 End of Heat. The very name of this season indicates that the hottest period of the year is about to be over. Although the weather is hot during the daytime, it can be quite cool at night and in the early morning. Everything points to the approach of a real autumn chill. In other words, the “End of Heat” is a transitional season from summer heat to autumn fresh. The process of nature's transition from maturity to withering begins. There comes a period of harvesting and fruit ripening. The grape harvesting is in full swing. |
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08.09 |
白露 White Dew. Although it is still quite warm during the day, the difference between day and night temperatures is perhaps the biggest within a year. With the end of this season, the autumn equinox will come, that is, the mid-autumn of the Chinese calendar. The days become cooler and cooler, especially at night and in the early morning. Moisture in the air condenses as white dew on grass and tree leaves. Autumn belongs to Metal and is represented by white. |
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23.09 |
秋分 Autumn Equinox. According to the Chinese agricultural solar calendar, this day is astronomical mid-autumn. With the beginning of the season of "Autumn Equinox" the night becomes longer than the day, in nature begins the period of the predominance of Yin over Yang. And Yin will reach its maximum in exactly a quarter of a year, that is the day of the winter solstice. Then the growth of Yang will begin, and the power of Yin will gradually decrease. But everything has its time. And now, on the day of the autumn equinox, the length of the day is equal to the length of the night. The sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west. |
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08.10 |
寒露 Cold Dew. With the onset of the Cold Dew season the weather is getting colder, everything living in nature gradually calms down. The Cold Dew is the season of the most pronounced transition from heat to cold. |
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23.10 |
霜降 Frosts Descent. In the Chinese calendar this is the last season of autumn. The dew here is a background of Yin energy. This is the frost. In the Frost Descent season the weather is getting colder every day, the first frost is falling. There is such a sign: “If during the Frost Descent season the frost doesn’t fall, the next year will be bad for harvesting”. |
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07.11 |
立冬 Beginning of Winter. The season of "Beginning of Winter" is the first winter season. Maintaining health during this season determines the state of the body throughout the winter to a large extent. According to traditional Chinese thinking, winter is “the termination, the end,” meaning the end of one more life cycle. All the living fall asleep; they don't move and don't grow. At the same time, this is the beginning of a long process of preparing for a new cycle, which will certainly begin in spring. |
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22.11 |
小雪 Lesser Snow. Here, the shower rains meet cold weather and become light snow. The first snow in northern China is a reminder of the approaching of the coldest season. |
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07.12 |
大雪 Greater Snow. It’s very heavy snow. This is the first season of “Midwinter”. During this period, snow falls in the Yellow River basin and in the north of China. It is believed that heavy snowfalls in the Greater Snows season herald a rich harvest for the next year. |
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22.12 |
冬至 Winter Solstice. The first day of this season is the winter solstice, that is, the shortest day of the year. Since ancient times, this day in China has been celebrated as a holiday — the “Winter Solstice Holiday”. The winter solstice holiday is important because this day marks the beginning of a new cycle. From this time on, Yin begins to weaken, giving way to Yang, which results in a gradual lengthening of a day and, consequently, in the approaching of spring. |
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06.01 |
小寒 Lesser Cold. As the season name suggests, this is one of the coldest seasons of the year. Its second half, corresponding to the well-known “Epiphany frosts”, has long been famous for particularly low temperatures. |
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21.01 |
大寒 Greater Сold. It’s very cold. Mice and men hide. Everything gets frozen. This is the last season of winter, the last season of the whole annual cycle. Perhaps this is the hardest time of the year. All living things are looking forward to spring, tired of the cold and dark winter. However, signs of awakening of nature gradually appear. The day is getting longer. A new cycle will begin very soon, spring will come. |