24 solar terms (二十四节气) reference. Any year → exact Gregorian dates + times for Lichun, Yushui, …, Dahan. Astronomy-formula precise.
24 Solar Terms Reference (二十四节气)
How to use
Enter a year
Gregorian year 1900-2100.
View all 24 solar terms
From Lichun (Start of Spring) through Dahan (Greater Cold) in a 4-column grid.
See precise times
Each term shows exact Gregorian date + HH:MM:SS (UTC+8 Beijing time).
Cross-reference traditional almanac
The 24 solar terms anchor traditional Chinese agriculture, TCM, and seasonal practices.
24 Solar Terms: China\'s Agricultural Time Anchors
The 24 solar terms (二十四节气) are the solar component of the traditional Chinese calendar — dividing the year every 15° of solar longitude, totalling 24 nodes. Originating in the pre-Qin era and formalised in Han dynasty《淮南子》, they have continued in use for 2000+ years. Inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.
Structure
The 24 terms alternate between 12 "Joints" (Lichun, Jingzhe, Qingming…) and 12 "Climates" (Yushui, Chunfen, Guyu…). Each term spans ~15 days. Lichun always falls around Feb 4 (Gregorian), Summer Solstice around Jun 21, Winter Solstice around Dec 21 — day-level precision.
Uses
(1) Traditional agriculture: when to plant, harvest, prune. (2) TCM: diet + lifestyle adjusts per term. (3) Festivals: Qingming + Winter Solstice are solar-term festivals, not lunar dates. (4) Bazi: month pillars are divided by solar terms, NOT lunar months.
ASEAN Chinese
HK/Taiwan/Macau/SG/MY/ID Chinese still observe Qingming for ancestor rites, Winter Solstice tangyuan, Lichun "biting the spring" rituals. The tool helps look up exact dates for advance planning.
10 Facts about 24 Solar Terms
The 24 solar terms were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016 — among China's signature contributions to world heritage.
Solar terms are solar-based, independent of lunar months. That's why their Gregorian dates are nearly fixed (Lichun is always ~Feb 4).
The 4 most important: Spring Equinox (Mar 20), Summer Solstice (Jun 21), Autumn Equinox (Sep 23), Winter Solstice (Dec 21) — the 4 cardinal points of Earth's orbit.
Qingming is both a solar term AND a holiday — around April 4. The only legal public holiday among solar terms in mainland China.
Bazi month pillars switch at solar terms, NOT lunar months — a common bazi misunderstanding. Lichun switches the year pillar; Jingzhe switches to the 2nd-month pillar; etc.
TCM associates each solar term with a health focus (Lichun = liver, Lidong = kidney, Lichun = liver) — now part of modern Chinese health culture.
Around Lichun, the 7-day Spring Festival travel period sees ~3 billion passenger trips in mainland China — the world's largest annual human migration.
Summer Solstice = longest day in the Northern Hemisphere — Chinese tradition eats dumplings + noodles. Winter Solstice = tangyuan (sweet rice balls, symbolising "reunion").
Tool precision is to the minute — Lichun 2026 = Feb 04 04:46:01. Only a few historical sources achieve higher precision; all match within the algorithm's error band.
HK Observatory and China's Purple Mountain Observatory occasionally differ by under 1 minute — due to different computational precisions. This tool aligns with PMO.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Earth's orbital period is 365.24 days (not integer), so each solar term drifts ~6 hours yearly. After 4 years that's ~1 day, absorbed by the leap year. Hence solar-term Gregorian dates oscillate within 1-2 days.
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No. Chinese New Year is lunar 正月初一 (moon-based); Lichun is sun-based. They can differ by up to 15 days.
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Qingming for ancestor rites, Winter Solstice tangyuan, Lichun "biting the spring", Summer Solstice noodles. TCM clinics also adjust seasonal recommendations per term.
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No. Browser-local, no server calls.
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UTC+8 (Beijing/Hong Kong time). Even if you're in Europe/US, the displayed time is UTC+8.
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Lichun, Lixia, Liqiu, Lidong are "starts of the 4 seasons" in Chinese calendar. Lichun (Feb 4) is 6 weeks before Western "Spring starts March 20" — the two climate definitions differ.
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Only when a term falls near midnight (e.g. 23:30-00:30 UTC+8), your local Gregorian date may differ. Rare. Tool automatically displays UTC+8.
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Range 1900-2100. Ancient solar-term precision was limited by observational tools; modern algorithm doesn't exactly match historical sources.
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Yes. Both use the Shouxing astronomical algorithm; day-level precision matches.
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Lichun = "start of spring". Yushui = "rain water" (snow turns to rain). Jingzhe = "awakening of insects" (spring thunder). Qingming = "clear bright". Each name distils ancient Chinese nature observation.
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