Solar term

(Twenty-four) solar terms
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese (二十四)節氣
Simplified Chinese (二十四)节气
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese (hai mươi bốn) tiết khí
Korean name
Hangul (이십사)절기
Hanja (二十四)節氣
Japanese name
Kanji (二十四)節気
Hiragana (にじゅうし)せっき

A solar term is any of 24 points in traditional East Asian lunisolar calendars that matches a particular astronomical event or signifies some natural phenomenon. The points are spaced 15° apart along the ecliptic[1] and are used by lunisolar calendars to stay synchronized with the seasons, which is crucial for agrarian societies. The solar terms are also used to calculate intercalary months in East Asian calendars;[2] which month is repeated depends on the position of the sun at the time.

Because the Sun's speed along the ecliptic varies depending on the Earth-Sun distance, the number of days that it takes the Sun to travel between each pair of solar terms varies slightly throughout the year. Each solar term is divided into three pentads (候 hou), so there are 72 pentads in a year. Each pentad consists of five, rarely six, days, and are mostly named after phenological (biological or botanical) phenomena corresponding to the pentad.

Solar terms originated in China, then spread to Korea, Vietnam, and Japan, countries in the East Asian cultural sphere. Although each term was named based on the seasonal changes of climate in North China Plain, peoples living in the different climates still use it with no changes.[3] This is exhibited by the fact that traditional Chinese, Hanja, and Kanji characters for most of the solar terms are identical.

On December 1, 2016, 24 Solar Terms were listed as UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage.[4]

List of solar terms

Sun's
ecliptical
longitude		 Chinese
name ¹		 Korean
name ²		 Vietnamese
name		 Japanese
name		 Gregorian
Date ³		 Reference for
Month Intercalating		 Remark[5]
270° 冬至
dōngzhì		 동지 (冬至)
dongji		 Đông chí 冬至
tōji		 Dec 22 11th month midpoint winter maximum (solstice)
285° 小寒
xiǎohán		 소한 (小寒)
sohan		 Tiểu hàn 小寒
shōkan		 Jan 6 12th month initial a bit frigid
300° 大寒
dàhán		 대한 (大寒)
daehan		 Đại hàn 大寒
daikan		 Jan 20 12th month midpoint most frigid
315° 立春
lìchūn		 입춘(S)/립춘(N) (立春)
ipchun/ripchun		 Lập xuân 立春
risshun		 Feb 4 1st month initial spring begins
330° 雨水
 yǔshuǐ[6]		 우수 (雨水)
usu		 Vũ thủy 雨水
usui		 Feb 19 1st month midpoint more rain than snow
345° 驚蟄 (惊蛰)
jīngzhé[7]		 경칩 (驚蟄)
gyeongchip		 Kinh trập 啓蟄
keichitsu		 Mar 6 2nd month initial hibernating insects awaken
0° 春分
chūnfēn		 춘분 (春分)
chunbun		 Xuân phân 春分
shunbun		 Mar 21 2nd month midpoint spring center (equinox)
15° 清明
qīngmíng[8]		 청명 (清明)
cheongmyeong		 Thanh minh 清明
seimei		 Apr 5 3rd month initial clear and bright
30° 穀雨 (谷雨)
 gǔyǔ[9]		 곡우 (穀雨)
gogu		 Cốc vũ 穀雨
kokuu		 Apr 20 3rd month midpoint wheat rain
45° 立夏
lìxià		 입하(S)/립하(N) (立夏)
ipha(S)/ripha(N)		 Lập hạ 立夏
rikka		 May 6 4th month initial summer begins
60° 小滿 (小满)
xiǎomǎn		 소만 (小滿)
soman		 Tiểu mãn 小満
shōman		 May 21 4th month midpoint creatures plentish
75° 芒種 (芒种)
mángzhòng		 망종 (芒種)
mangjong		 Mang chủng 芒種
bōshu		 Jun 6 5th month initial seeding millet
90° 夏至
xiàzhì		 하지 (夏至)
haji		 Hạ chí 夏至
geshi		 Jun 21 5th month midpoint summer maximum (solstice)
105° 小暑
xiǎoshǔ		 소서 (小暑)
soseo		 Tiểu thử 小暑
shōsho		 Jul 7 6th month initial a bit sweltering
120° 大暑
dàshǔ		 대서 (大暑)
daeseo		 Đại thử 大暑
taisho		 Jul 23 6th month midpoint most sweltering
135° 立秋
lìqiū		 입추(S)/립추(N)(立秋)
ipchu(S)/ripchu(N)		 Lập thu 立秋
risshū		 Aug 8 7th month initial autumn begins
150° 處暑 (处暑)
chǔshǔ		 처서 (處暑)
cheoseo		 Xử thử 処暑
shosho		 Aug 23 7th month midpoint heat withdraws
165° 白露
báilù		 백로 (白露)
baengno(S)/baengro(N)		 Bạch lộ 白露
hakuro		 Sep 8 8th month initial dews
180° 秋分
qiūfēn		 추분 (秋分)
chubun		 Thu phân 秋分
shūbun		 Sep 23 8th month midpoint autumn center (equinox)
195° 寒露
hánlù		 한로 (寒露)
hallo		 Hàn lộ 寒露
kanro		 Oct 8 9th month initial cold dews
210° 霜降
shuāngjiàng		 상강 (霜降)
sanggang		 Sương giáng 霜降
sōkō		 Oct 23 9th month midpoint frost
225° 立冬
lìdōng		 입동(S)/립동(N)(立冬)
ipdong(S)/ripdong(N)		 Lập đông 立冬
rittō		 Nov 7 10th month initial winter begins
240° 小雪
xiǎoxuě		 소설 (小雪)
soseol		 Tiểu tuyết 小雪
shōsetsu		 Nov 22 10th month midpoint snows a bit
255° 大雪
dàxuě		 대설 (大雪)
daeseol		 Đại tuyết 大雪
taisetsu		 Dec 7 11th month initial snows a lot
  1. Simplified Chinese characters are shown in parentheses if they differ from the Traditional Chinese characters.
  2. Hanja is indicated in parentheses.
  3. Date can vary within a ±1 day range.

The "Song of Solar Terms" (Chinese: 節氣歌; pinyin: jiéqìgē) is used to ease the memorization of jiéqì:

Chinese

春雨驚春清穀天
夏滿芒夏暑相連
秋處露秋寒霜降
冬雪雪冬小大寒
每月兩節不變更
最多相差一兩天
上半年來六、廿一
下半年是八、廿三
Pinyin

chūn yǔ jīng chūn qīng gǔ tiān,
xià mǎn máng xià shǔ xiāng lián,
qiū chù lù qiū hán shuāng jiàng,
dōng xuě xuě dōng xiǎo dà hán.
měi yuè liǎng jié bù biàn gēng,
zùi duō xiāng chā yī liǎng tiān
shàng bàn nián lái liù, niàn yī
xià bàn nián shì bā, niàn sān

Regional note

In Japan, the term Setsubun (節分) originally referred to the eves of Risshun (立春, 315°, the beginning of Spring) Rikka (立夏, 45°, the beginning of Summer), Risshū (立秋, 135°, the beginning of Autumn), and Rittō (立冬, 225°, the beginning of Winter), but currently mostly refers to the day before Risshun. The name of each solar term also refers to the period of time between that day and the next solar term, or 1/24th of a year.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Until 1644(Chinese Empire and its tributary states) or 1844(Japan) a period of time of the solar year itself had been equally divided instead of the spatial zodiac.
  2. ↑ When a lunar month's end does not reach a midpoint of the solar terms, it is regarded as the last month's intercalary one instead of the true "next" month. It is called 歳中閏月法 lit."midpoint intercalating system".
  3. ↑ なぜずれる？　二十四節気と季節感 (Why off-point? -solar terms and our real feeling of the seasons) An example in Japan. It compares the climate of Taiyuan with that of Tokyo and Kyoto. In maritime Japanese islands difference of the seasonal gap length is the main problem. In subtropical or tropical regions including southern china climate difference is more serious.
  4. ↑ "An intro to China's 24 Solar Terms". Global Times. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  5. ↑ literal meaning based on the climate of North China
  6. ↑ the Yushi and Jingzhe have been exchanged by Liu Xin in Han dynasty.
  7. ↑ the Jingzhe and Yushi have been exchanged by Liu Xin in Han dynasty.
  8. ↑ the Qingmin and Guyu have been exchanged by Liu Xin in Han dynasty.
  9. ↑ the Guyu and Qingmin have been exchanged by Liu Xin in Han dynasty.
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