The Twenty-four JieQi

As we know, Chinese Calendar mostly a lunar calendar, and based on lunar movement, so a day in Chinese Calendar can not simply translated to a International Calendar day. But the seasons changing according to the Sun, so ancient Chinese introduce Jieqi or the Twenty-four Solar Terms, this is a unique cultural heritage created and passed down for about 2000 years.



In modern science, Jieqi actually are defined by a solar calendar system and divides a year into twenty four parts of equal lengths according to the positions of the sun when it travels on the ecliptic longitude. The sun's path comprises twenty four divisions, each of which measures 15 celestial degrees. The sun starts from the Vernal Equinox—0 degree of celestial longitude, where the direct rays of the sun would always shine on the equator, that is, the angle of the incidence at the earth would be 90 degrees—and returns to the same point after making one revolution around the celestial globe. Such a 360-degree journey is called a solar year and each part of 15 degrees a jieqi. There are twenty-four jieqis altogether.


Jieqi reflection season-changing and is a guide to agricultural arrangements, the Terms hold an influence upon the daily lives of Chinese people in many ways. It is along the Yellow River Valley that the concepts of jieqis have been established on the basis of the valley's weather patterns and other natural phenomena—a result of the valley's role as China's political center for two thousand years. Since China has a vast territory and a varied terrain, the Twenty-four jieqis are just referential to other parts of the country. Some jieqi had also become festival, like Pure Brightness(清明) and the Winter Solstice(冬至).

The origin of jieqies

Even in the Spring-Autumn and the Warring States period, Chinese had the concepts that the sun appears at different positions. Later on they studied the links between the natural laws of life and the positions of the sun and the moon at the beginning or the end of a month, thus dividing the year into several parts which equal one another. Each part was given a specific name, and they were called jieqis in general.

Eight jieqis were mentioned in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Lord Lu Buwei(吕氏春秋), a book compiled in the late part of the Warring States period. They were lichun (The Beginning of Spring), chunfen (The Spring Equinox or The Vernal Equinox), lixia (The Beginning of Summer), xiazhi (The Summer Solstice), liqiu (The Beginning of Autumn), qiufen (The Autumn Equinox), lidong (The Beginning of Winter), and dongzhi (The Winter Solstice). These eight terms were regarded as the most important, for they accurately mark the change of seasons, thus serving as the clear divisions of a year. It was in the book of Master Huainan(淮南子) that the whole system of the Twenty-four jieqis were finally decided upon.

Jieqi was called qi in ancient China. Then in each month there were often two solar terms of qis; the first one was generally named 'jieqi' and the other 'zhongqi'. Their dates are mirrored by the Gregorian calendar(because Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar), so we find that during the first half of a year 'jieqi' is around the 6th day of a solar month, and 'zhongqi' around the 21st; in the second half of a year, 'jieqi' is around the 8th and 'zhongqi' around the 23rd.

These solar terms have meaningful titles. Some of them reflect the change of seasons such as the Beginning of Spring, the Beginning of Summer, the Beginning of Autumn, and the Beginning of Winter; some embody the phenomena of climate like the Waking of Insects (Jingzhe), Pure Brightness (Qingming), Lesser Fullness of Grain (Xiaoman) and Grain in Ear (Mangzhong); and some indicate the change of climate like Rain Water (Yu Shui), Grain Rain (Gu Yu), Lesser Heat (Xiao Shu), Greater Heat (Da Shu)，lesser Cold (xiaohan), Greater Cold (dahan). Most Chinese can remember these names by "Solar Terms songs".


立春 the Beginning of Spring (1st solar term)

雨水 Rain Water (2nd solar term)

惊蛰 the Waking of Insects (3rd solar term)

春分 the Spring Equinox (4th solar term)

清明 Pure Brightness (5th solar term)

谷雨 Grain Rain (6th solar term)

立夏 the Beginning of Summer (7th solar term)

小满 Lesser Fullness of Grain (8th solar term)

芒种 Grain in Ear (9th solar term)

夏至 the Summer Solstice (10th solar term)

小暑 Lesser Heat (11th solar term)

大暑 Greater Heat (12th solar term)

立秋 the Beginning of Autumn (13th solar term)

处暑 the End of Heat (14th solar term)

白露 White Dew (15th solar term)

秋分 the Autumnal Equinox (16th solar term)

寒露 Cold Dew (17th solar term)

霜降 Frost's Descent (18th solar term)

立冬 the Beginning of Winter (19th solar term)

小雪 Lesser Snow (20th solar term)

大雪 Greater Snow (21st solar term)

冬至 the Winter Solstice (22nd solar term)

小寒 Lesser Cold (23rd solar term)

大寒 Greater Cold (24th solar term)