Solar longitude
The measured position of the Sun along the ecliptic. Moving 15° creates the next term, so the sequence completes a 360° circle.
The solar clock · 二十四节气
How the 24 Solar Terms Organize the Zodiac Year
A solar term is one of twenty-four positions of the Sun spaced 15° apart. They organize the four traditional seasons and twelve branch months; they are not extra animal signs and they do not predict local weather.
Three facts inside every table row
How to read a solar term
The English name is a translation of a traditional seasonal marker. The type tells you whether it opens an animal month or marks its midpoint.
Jie · month opening
Twelve alternating terms open the twelve solar months. Each month carries one earthly branch and therefore one zodiac animal name.
Qi · month midpoint
The other twelve fall halfway through a branch month. A Qi marks its seasonal centre; it does not switch the month's animal.
The zodiac connection
Twelve Jie open twelve animal months
“Tiger month” here means the Tiger earthly branch occupies that solar month. It does not mean everyone born during it has Tiger as their birth-year sign.
- Solar month 1Tiger寅opens at Start of Spring 立春
- Solar month 2Rabbit卯opens at Awakening of Insects 惊蛰
- Solar month 3Dragon辰opens at Pure Brightness 清明
- Solar month 4Snake巳opens at Start of Summer 立夏
- Solar month 5Horse午opens at Grain in Ear 芒种
- Solar month 6Goat未opens at Minor Heat 小暑
- Solar month 7Monkey申opens at Start of Autumn 立秋
- Solar month 8Rooster酉opens at White Dew 白露
- Solar month 9Dog戌opens at Cold Dew 寒露
- Solar month 10Pig亥opens at Start of Winter 立冬
- Solar month 11Rat子opens at Major Snow 大雪
- Solar month 12Ox丑opens at Minor Cold 小寒
Earlier than the equinox calendar
What Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter mean here
In this zodiac reference, a season is a run of three branch months and six solar terms. Its “Start of” term opens it; an equinox or solstice sits at its midpoint.
Spring branch season
Wood meeting
The Tiger, Rabbit, and Dragon branch months form the spring meeting. Start of Spring opens it; the Spring Equinox is its midpoint.
Summer branch season
Fire meeting
The Snake, Horse, and Goat branch months form the summer meeting. Start of Summer opens it; the Summer Solstice is its midpoint.
Autumn branch season
Metal meeting
The Monkey, Rooster, and Dog branch months form the autumn meeting. Start of Autumn opens it; the Autumn Equinox is its midpoint.
Winter branch season
Water meeting
The Pig, Rat, and Ox branch months form the winter meeting. Start of Winter opens it; the Winter Solstice is its midpoint.
The full seasonal circuit
All 24 terms, explained
The instant changes slightly each Gregorian year. Times below are the calculated 2026 instants in China Standard Time (UTC+8). The names describe a traditional East Asian seasonal sequence, not a weather forecast.
01立春 Start of Spring
lì chūn
Opens traditional spring and the Tiger solar month. Four Pillars calendars also use this instant as their change of astrological year.
- Position
- 315° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Tiger branch month
- 2026 instant
- 4 February 2026 at 04:02 · UTC+8
02雨水 Rain Water
yǔ shuǐ
Names the early-spring turn toward rain and moisture. It is the Qi midpoint of the Tiger solar month.
- Position
- 330° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 18 February 2026 at 23:51 · UTC+8
03惊蛰 Awakening of Insects
jīng zhé
Evokes hibernating life stirring as spring advances. This Jie opens the Rabbit solar month.
- Position
- 345° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Rabbit branch month
- 2026 instant
- 5 March 2026 at 21:59 · UTC+8
04春分 Spring Equinox
chūn fēn
The equinox at the middle of traditional spring, when day and night are close to equal in length.
- Position
- 0° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 20 March 2026 at 22:45 · UTC+8
05清明 Pure Brightness
qīng míng
Names the clear, bright interval of later spring. This Jie opens the Dragon solar month and also names the Qingming observance.
- Position
- 15° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Dragon branch month
- 2026 instant
- 5 April 2026 at 02:40 · UTC+8
06谷雨 Grain Rain
gǔ yǔ
The final spring term, named for rains associated with the growth of grain. It is the Qi midpoint of Dragon month.
- Position
- 30° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 20 April 2026 at 09:39 · UTC+8
07立夏 Start of Summer
lì xià
Opens traditional summer and the Snake solar month, before the June solstice rather than on it.
- Position
- 45° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Snake branch month
- 2026 instant
- 5 May 2026 at 19:48 · UTC+8
08小满 Grain Buds
xiǎo mǎn
Describes grain beginning to fill without yet being fully ripe. It is the Qi midpoint of Snake month.
- Position
- 60° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 21 May 2026 at 08:36 · UTC+8
09芒种 Grain in Ear
máng zhòng
Names the time of awned grains in the seasonal sequence. This Jie opens the Horse solar month.
- Position
- 75° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Horse branch month
- 2026 instant
- 5 June 2026 at 23:48 · UTC+8
10夏至 Summer Solstice
xià zhì
The June solstice and midpoint of traditional summer, with the longest daylight of the Northern Hemisphere year.
- Position
- 90° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 21 June 2026 at 16:24 · UTC+8
11小暑 Minor Heat
xiǎo shǔ
Introduces the hotter part of the traditional calendar. This Jie opens the Goat solar month.
- Position
- 105° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Goat branch month
- 2026 instant
- 7 July 2026 at 09:56 · UTC+8
12大暑 Major Heat
dà shǔ
The closing term of traditional summer, named for the season's strongest heat and placed at the midpoint of Goat month.
- Position
- 120° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 23 July 2026 at 03:13 · UTC+8
13立秋 Start of Autumn
lì qiū
Opens traditional autumn and the Monkey solar month, well before the September equinox.
- Position
- 135° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Monkey branch month
- 2026 instant
- 7 August 2026 at 19:42 · UTC+8
14处暑 End of Heat
chù shǔ
Its name marks summer heat beginning to withdraw. It is the Qi midpoint of Monkey month.
- Position
- 150° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 23 August 2026 at 10:18 · UTC+8
15白露 White Dew
bái lù
Evokes the more visible dew of cooler early-autumn nights. This Jie opens the Rooster solar month.
- Position
- 165° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Rooster branch month
- 2026 instant
- 7 September 2026 at 22:41 · UTC+8
16秋分 Autumn Equinox
qiū fēn
The equinox at the middle of traditional autumn, when day and night are close to equal in length.
- Position
- 180° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 23 September 2026 at 08:05 · UTC+8
17寒露 Cold Dew
hán lù
Names the deepening chill signalled by cold dew. This Jie opens the Dog solar month.
- Position
- 195° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Dog branch month
- 2026 instant
- 8 October 2026 at 14:29 · UTC+8
18霜降 Frost Descent
shuāng jiàng
The final autumn term, named for the arrival of frost in the traditional seasonal vocabulary and placed at the midpoint of Dog month.
- Position
- 210° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 23 October 2026 at 17:37 · UTC+8
19立冬 Start of Winter
lì dōng
Opens traditional winter and the Pig solar month, before the December solstice rather than on it.
- Position
- 225° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Pig branch month
- 2026 instant
- 7 November 2026 at 17:52 · UTC+8
20小雪 Minor Snow
xiǎo xuě
Introduces snow imagery into the winter sequence. It is the Qi midpoint of Pig month, not a promise of local snowfall.
- Position
- 240° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 22 November 2026 at 15:23 · UTC+8
21大雪 Major Snow
dà xuě
Names a deeper-cold stage in the traditional calendar. This Jie opens the Rat solar month.
- Position
- 255° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Rat branch month
- 2026 instant
- 7 December 2026 at 10:52 · UTC+8
22冬至 Winter Solstice
dōng zhì
The December solstice and midpoint of traditional winter, with the shortest daylight of the Northern Hemisphere year.
- Position
- 270° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 22 December 2026 at 04:50 · UTC+8
23小寒 Minor Cold
xiǎo hán
Begins the final solar month of winter. This Jie opens the Ox month near the start of January.
- Position
- 285° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Jie · opens the Ox branch month
- 2026 instant
- 5 January 2026 at 16:23 · UTC+8
24大寒 Major Cold
dà hán
The twenty-fourth term closes the traditional winter sequence before Start of Spring begins it again.
- Position
- 300° solar longitude
- Calendar role
- Qi · midpoint of a branch month
- 2026 instant
- 20 January 2026 at 09:44 · UTC+8
One date, two conventions
Why Start of Spring can show a different sign
Start of Spring, or Li Chun 立春, is both the first solar term and the opening of Tiger month. Four Pillars (BaZi) practice commonly changes its year pillar at this exact instant.
This site's main animal-sign calculator follows the popular lunar-year convention and changes the birth-year sign at Chinese New Year. When the two boundaries fall on different dates, the result explains both answers instead of hiding the distinction.