# 24 solar terms 2026 & 2027: dates and times · Angel Step > Dates and exact times of the 24 Chinese solar terms in 2026 and 2027, in China time (UTC+8) from the Hong Kong Observatory, and the solar term on any date. Canonical: https://angelstep.app/solar-terms Language: en Updated: 2026-10-12 Whole site in one file: https://angelstep.app/llms-full.txt This file is the markdown twin of the page at the canonical address above: the same words, without markup. Cite the canonical address, not this file. --- 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. Angel StepCute Pedometer, Daily StepsFree · In-App Purchases · iPhone Scan with your iPhone camera ### 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. 小寒 Xiaohan (Moderate Cold) 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. The 24 solar terms in 2026 and 2027: date and time they begin, UTC+8 (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan) | Solar term | 2026 | 2027 | | Xiaohan 小寒Moderate Cold | Jan 516:23 | Jan 522:10 | | Dahan 大寒Severe Cold | Jan 2009:45 | Jan 2015:30 | | Lichun 立春Spring Commences | Feb 404:02 | Feb 409:46 | | Yushui 雨水Spring Showers | Feb 1823:52 | Feb 1905:33 | | Jingzhe 驚蟄Insects Waken | Mar 521:59 | Mar 603:40 | | Chunfen 春分Vernal Equinox | Mar 2022:46 | Mar 2104:25 | | Qingming 清明Bright and Clear | Apr 502:40 | Apr 508:17 | | Guyu 穀雨Corn Rain | Apr 2009:39 | Apr 2015:18 | | Lixia 立夏Summer Commences | May 519:49 | May 601:25 | | Xiaoman 小滿Corn Forms | May 2108:37 | May 2114:18 | | Mangzhong 芒種Corn on Ear | Jun 523:48 | Jun 605:26 | | Xiazhi 夏至Summer Solstice | Jun 2116:25 | Jun 2122:11 | | Xiaoshu 小暑Moderate Heat | Jul 709:57 | Jul 715:37 | | Dashu 大暑Great Heat | Jul 2303:13 | Jul 2309:05 | | Liqiu 立秋Autumn Commences | Aug 719:43 | Aug 801:27 | | Chushu 處暑End of Heat | Aug 2310:19 | Aug 2316:14 | | Bailu 白露White Dew | Sep 722:41 | Sep 804:28 | | Qiufen 秋分Autumnal Equinox | Sep 2308:05 | Sep 2314:02 | | Hanlu 寒露Cold Dew | Oct 814:29 | Oct 820:17 | | Shuangjiang 霜降Frost | Oct 2317:38 | Oct 2323:33 | | Lidong 立冬Winter Commences | Nov 717:52 | Nov 723:39 | | Xiaoxue 小雪Light Snow | Nov 2215:23 | Nov 2221:16 | | Daxue 大雪Heavy Snow | Dec 710:53 | Dec 716:38 | | Dongzhi 冬至Winter Solstice | Dec 2204:50 | Dec 2210:42 | ### 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 Updated 12 October 2026 a new solar term every 15 days, and a walk to see the light change. Angel Step reads only your steps from Apple Health and shows them as one number on a living sky.