The Extinction Days

The Extinction or Exhaustion Days  (四絕日 si jue zhi) are four days a year when a certain element of seasonal Qi is at its lowest energy level. These days are associated with the end of a quarter of the Chinese solar year. According to the views of Chinese metaphysics, Qi energy moves cyclically in Nature: it either increases or decreases. The Extinction Days, by the end of the ending period, the flow of Qi reaches its lowest point, is completely depleted and seems to "extinguish".

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We are talking about the end of one of the 24 solar terms or "seasons" of the Chinese solar year and the beginning of the next. The solar terms of the Chinese calendar are 24 periods of the year, each of which lasts about 2 weeks. They are not synonymous with the seasons we are familiar with, and have only an indirect relation to weather conditions. The division of the year into 24 periods is based on the movement of the Earth around the Sun. These solar terms are necessarily noted in the Chinese calendar and the Tongshu almanac.

The Four Extinction Days are the days leading up to the onset of:

• The Season of the "Beginning of Spring" 立春 (li-zhun), around February 3
• The Season of the "Beginning of Summer" 立夏 (li-xia), around May 5
• The Season of the "Beginning of Autumn" 立秋 (li-qiu), around August 7
• The Season of the "Beginning of Winter" 立冬 (li-dong), around November 7
   

It is best to check the start and end dates of the solar terms for a particular year according to the Chinese calendar, because sometimes there may be a one-day shift. The solar terms and the days of the change of seasons are also marked in our Fortune Calendar.

On each of these Extinction Days, the Qi of the corresponding element becomes very weak. For example, on the last day of spring (around May 5, the day before the onset of the season of "Beginning of Summer", Li-Xia), the energy of the Wood element is at its lowest point, because spring is the time of Wood. On the last day of summer, before the onset of autumn (around August 7, the day before the onset of the "Beginning of Autumn" season, Li-Qiu), the Qi of Fire, the element of summer, is almost depleted.

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The Extinction means fading, ending, completion. Therefore, any action that you perform on the Extinction Days is doomed to failure from the very beginning. It has one fate - to end very quickly. The four Extinction Days are especially unfavorable for important matters that should lead to growth, development and advancement, such as marriage, business contracts, investments, important commercial transactions, etc. For example, a marriage concluded on this day will not produce offspring, a business started on this day will be unprofitable or will not develop. If you sign an agreement on business expansion on such a day, then instead of expanding, your business may stop or, worse, go downhill!