The Chinese calendar marks the year with 24 days (called Solar Terms, or Tiết Khí, 節氣) that are used to indicate the alternation of the seasons and climate changes. Tiết Khí played an important role in ancient China's farming activities and animal husbandry.
Since the earth revolves around the sun 360° per year, and since there are 24 solar terms each year, each Tiết Khí is spaced exactly 15° apart along the ecliptic. Since the earth's path around the sun is not a circle but an ellipse, and since its speed is not exactly the same everywhere around that path, each Tiết Khí is not exactly 15 days apart but about 14-16 days apart.
Since all calculations are based on longitude 120° east and latitude 35° north, the exact timing of Tiết Khí may fall on anytime during the day. To standardize the timing, all Tiết Khí begin on the midnight of the corresponding Tiết Khí.
Tiết Khí 1 is Lập Xuân (立春, Beginning of Spring), falls around February 4.
Here is the list.
| 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 | 315° 330° 345° 0° 15° 30° 45° 60° 75° 90° 105° 120° 135° 150° 165° 180° 195° 210° 225° 240° 255° 270° 285° 300° | Lập Xuân Vũ Thủy Kinh Trập Xuân Phân Thanh Minh Cốc Vũ Lập Hạ Tiểu Mãn Mang Chủng Hạ Chí Tiểu Thử Đại Thử Lập Thu Xử Thử Bạch Lộ Thu Phân Hàn Lộ Sương Giáng Lập Đông Tiểu Tuyết Đại Tuyết Đông Chí Tiểu Hàn Đại Hàn | 立春 雨水 驚蟄 春分 清明 穀雨 立夏 小滿 芒種 夏至 小暑 大暑 立秋 處暑 白露 秋分 寒露 霜降 立冬 小雪 大雪 冬至 小寒 大寒 | Beginning of Spring Rain Water Waking of Insects Spring Equinox Pure Brightness Grain Rain Beginning of Summer Grain Full Grain in Ear Summer Solstice Slight Heat Great Heat Beginning of Autumn Limit of Heat White Dew Autumnal Equinox Cold Dew Frost's descent Beginning of Winter Slight Snow Great Snow Winter Solstice Slight Cold Great Cold | 4-Feb 19-Feb 5-Mar 12-Mar 5-Apr 20-Apr 6-May 21-May 6-Jun 21-Jun 7-Jul 23-Jul 7-Aug 23-Aug 8-Sep 23-Sep 8-Oct 23-Oct 7-Nov 22-Nov 7-Dec 22-Dec 6-Jan 21-Jan |
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