The 24 solar terms
The 24 solar terms divide the Sun's yearly path into 24 steps of 15°, and each one begins at an exact moment. Lichun (Spring Commences) is on February 4 at 04:02 in 2026 and February 4 at 09:46 in 2027, China time. Below: the solar term on any date, and all 48 moments of 2026 and 2027 in UTC+8, the time used in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.
Which solar term is it today?
Pick a date. The calculator gives the solar term in China time on that day, when it began, and when the next one begins.
The date starts at today in China; without JavaScript, the example above is January 15, 2027.
What the 24 solar terms are
Seen from the Earth, the Sun moves once a year around the ecliptic. The solar terms cut that circle into 24 equal parts, 15° of the Sun's longitude apart: the Sun is at 0° at Chunfen (Vernal Equinox), at 15° at Qingming (Bright and Clear), and so on. Twelve are major terms and twelve are minor ones, taking turns.
The equinoxes and the solstices were worked out first, then the four that begin the seasons: Lichun, Lixia, Liqiu and Lidong. The others were named after the weather and farm work of each season, and the Hong Kong Observatory notes that, taken together, they reflect the climate of central China in ancient times. They also set the Chinese lunisolar calendar: a lunar month without a major solar term becomes a leap month.
Japan uses the same 24 as its sekki, each divided again into three micro-seasons of about five days.
Solar terms in 2026 and 2027
Each term begins at the minute shown and lasts until the next one, about 15 days. Times are UTC+8, from the Hong Kong Observatory; they match the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, an hour apart, in all 48.
| Solar term | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Xiaohan 小寒 Moderate Cold | Jan 5 16:23 | Jan 5 22:10 |
| Dahan 大寒 Severe Cold | Jan 20 09:45 | Jan 20 15:30 |
| Lichun 立春 Spring Commences | Feb 4 04:02 | Feb 4 09:46 |
| Yushui 雨水 Spring Showers | Feb 18 23:52 | Feb 19 05:33 |
| Jingzhe 驚蟄 Insects Waken | Mar 5 21:59 | Mar 6 03:40 |
| Chunfen 春分 Vernal Equinox | Mar 20 22:46 | Mar 21 04:25 |
| Qingming 清明 Bright and Clear | Apr 5 02:40 | Apr 5 08:17 |
| Guyu 穀雨 Corn Rain | Apr 20 09:39 | Apr 20 15:18 |
| Lixia 立夏 Summer Commences | May 5 19:49 | May 6 01:25 |
| Xiaoman 小滿 Corn Forms | May 21 08:37 | May 21 14:18 |
| Mangzhong 芒種 Corn on Ear | Jun 5 23:48 | Jun 6 05:26 |
| Xiazhi 夏至 Summer Solstice | Jun 21 16:25 | Jun 21 22:11 |
| Xiaoshu 小暑 Moderate Heat | Jul 7 09:57 | Jul 7 15:37 |
| Dashu 大暑 Great Heat | Jul 23 03:13 | Jul 23 09:05 |
| Liqiu 立秋 Autumn Commences | Aug 7 19:43 | Aug 8 01:27 |
| Chushu 處暑 End of Heat | Aug 23 10:19 | Aug 23 16:14 |
| Bailu 白露 White Dew | Sep 7 22:41 | Sep 8 04:28 |
| Qiufen 秋分 Autumnal Equinox | Sep 23 08:05 | Sep 23 14:02 |
| Hanlu 寒露 Cold Dew | Oct 8 14:29 | Oct 8 20:17 |
| Shuangjiang 霜降 Frost | Oct 23 17:38 | Oct 23 23:33 |
| Lidong 立冬 Winter Commences | Nov 7 17:52 | Nov 7 23:39 |
| Xiaoxue 小雪 Light Snow | Nov 22 15:23 | Nov 22 21:16 |
| Daxue 大雪 Heavy Snow | Dec 7 10:53 | Dec 7 16:38 |
| Dongzhi 冬至 Winter Solstice | Dec 22 04:50 | Dec 22 10:42 |
Same moment, different date
A solar term begins at the same instant everywhere; only the date and the clock time change with the time zone. In 2026 and 2027, four begin shortly before midnight in China, so they fall a day later in Japan and Korea (UTC+9): Yushui (February 18, 2026, 23:52), Mangzhong (June 5, 2026, 23:48), Shuangjiang (October 23, 2027, 23:33) and Lidong (November 7, 2027, 23:39).
West of China, the date moves the other way. In New York, Lichun 2026 begins on February 3, at 3:02 p.m. Eastern time.
Qingming, the term and the festival
Qingming (Bright and Clear) begins on April 5 at 02:40 in 2026 and April 5 at 08:17 in 2027. Hong Kong's list of general holidays puts the Ching Ming Festival on April 5 in both years: the day the term begins.
Where Angel Step fits
Angel Step reads only your step count from Apple Health and shows it as one number on a living sky. It does not keep the calendar; that is this page's job. A new solar term every 15 days is a good excuse to notice how the light has changed on your usual walk.
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory — The 24 Solar Terms: 15° of the Sun's longitude apart, major and minor terms, the English names used here, and the leap month rule. HKO
- Hong Kong Observatory — solar term times for 2026 and 2027 (Hong Kong time, UTC+8). HKO
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan — 暦要項 2026 and 2027, the same moments in Japan time. NAOJ
- GovHK — general holidays for 2026 and 2027 (the Ching Ming Festival). GovHK
- Wikipedia — Solar term: the pinyin names. Wikipedia
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