The 24 Solar Terms (二十四節氣) of the Chinese solar calendar, organised in 12 pairs of one 節 (sectional term, marking BaZi month-pillar transition) + one 氣 (mid-term, within month). Each solar term marks a 15° advance of the sun along the ecliptic; the full cycle of 24 spans the year (360°) at evenly-spaced solar longitudes.
The 24 Solar Terms in BaZi practice
This is the master directory for the 24 Solar Terms (二十四節氣) of the Chinese solar calendar. The solar terms are central to BaZi practice because the 12 sectional terms (節) mark when the BaZi month pillar transitions in any given year. For chart-casting accuracy, the precise timestamp of each sectional term matters — someone born hours before vs. after a sectional term has different month pillars.
Voice constraint: these pages name each solar term, identify its solar longitude, date range, and BaZi month-pillar association, and describe the observed register. They do not teach the chart-casting procedure for determining a person's exact month pillar from their birth date and time. For chart-aware reading of a specific consultation, book a BaZi consultation; for self-study, use the free BaZi Calculator; for learning the chart-casting methodology, the BaZi Bootcamp covers this in detail.
12 sectional terms (節) mark BaZi month-pillar transitions. Someone born before the exact sectional-term timestamp has one month pillar; born after has the next month pillar. The 12 sectional terms are: 立春, 驚蟄, 清明, 立夏, 芒種, 小暑, 立秋, 白露, 寒露, 立冬, 大雪, 小寒.
12 mid-terms (氣) sit within an already-established month pillar without changing it. They mark internal phases of the month — strengthening or weakening of the dominant elemental energy. The 12 mid-terms are: 雨水, 春分, 穀雨, 小滿, 夏至, 大暑, 處暑, 秋分, 霜降, 小雪, 冬至, 大寒.
How solar terms integrate with BaZi practice
The year pillar transitions on 立春 (Beginning of Spring) — not on the lunar new year. A person born on Feb 1 has the previous year's pillar; born on Feb 5 (after 立春) has the new year's pillar.
The month pillar transitions on each sectional term. The exact timestamp matters for births within hours of a sectional term.
The day pillar follows a 60-jiazi cycle independent of solar terms. The day's heavenly stem and earthly branch are determined by the calendar position.
The hour pillar uses a 12-branch sequence based on the day pillar's stem. Solar terms do not directly affect the hour pillar's calculation.
Reading a chart involves identifying the four pillars (year, month, day, hour), the Day Master (day stem), and the chart's elemental balance — including how the season established by the month-pillar branch interacts with the Day Master's element. The 24 solar terms reference is the solar-calendar foundation for this work.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 24 Solar Terms?
The 24 Solar Terms (二十四節氣) are 24 evenly-spaced markers along the sun’s annual path through the ecliptic, each separated by 15° of solar longitude. Together they describe the year’s seasonal progression with much finer resolution than the 12-month system alone. The terms are central to traditional Chinese agriculture, festivals, and metaphysics — including BaZi.
Why do solar terms matter for BaZi?
Because the 12 sectional terms (節) mark when the BaZi month pillar transitions in the four-pillar calendar. The BaZi calendar is solar-based, not lunar — month pillars change at sectional terms, not on the first of each lunar month. For chart-casting accuracy, the exact timestamp of the sectional term is critical for births within hours of the transition. The 12 mid-terms (氣) describe internal phases within month pillars.
Why does the BaZi year transition at 立春 instead of the lunar new year?
Because BaZi is a solar calendar system. The year pillar transitions when the sun reaches a specific solar longitude (315°, marking 立春), regardless of where the moon is. This produces a year boundary that is consistent across solar cycles. The lunar new year, by contrast, varies with the moon and may fall as much as a month away from 立春 — so a person born in early February may be in different BaZi years from different perspectives.
How do solar terms relate to the QMDJ dun periods?
Closely. The Qi Men Dun Jia 18 dun periods are organised by solar-term ranges — each dun number (1-9 for yang, 1-9 for yin) operates during specific solar-term thirds (upper / middle / lower) of multiple solar terms across the year. The solar terms are the temporal foundation of the dun-period system. The QMDJ 18 Dun Periods reference shows which solar-term thirds map to each dun period.
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