立夏 Beginning of Summer: summer solar term, May 5-7 立夏 · Lì Xià

Classical attributes

• Solar position: longitude 45°
• Date range: May 5-7
• Season: summer (early summer)
• Type: 節 — Sectional term — month transition
• Month branch: 巳 (Snake)

Climatic register

The first decisive heat of the year arrives; greenery thickens; the fire-element register asserts itself for the season's three-month dominance. Energy moves outward and upward, expansive and visible.

Hidden stems of the 巳 month branch

The 巳 earthly branch holds these heavenly stems internally — read in BaZi as the “hidden essence” of the month pillar:

• 丙 (Yang Fire, primary)
• 庚 (Yang Metal, transitional)
• 戊 (Yang Earth, residual)

BaZi relevance

立夏 marks the transition into the 巳 (Si, Snake) month pillar. The 巳 month is the early-fire phase — yang fire taking hold, with the residual metal of the previous spring still active and the earth that stabilises the fire phase already settling.

QMDJ (Qi Men Dun Jia) relevance

Same as 清明 — yang dun 4 (scholar) opening, transitioning into 1 (career) and 7 (speech). Note that 立夏 marks the BaZi transition into the 巳 month pillar. In the QMDJ system, 立夏 falls within the 陽遁 (yang dun, forward-rotating expansion) half-year. The three thirds of this solar term map to 陽遁4局 (upper), 陽遁1局 (middle), and 陽遁7局 (lower) respectively. QMDJ consultations made during 立夏 carry the dun-period register stacked on top of the solar-term's seasonal energy.

For chart-aware QMDJ reading of a specific consultation made during 立夏, see the 18 Dun Periods reference for the relevant dun-period pages, or book a QMDJ forecasting consultation.

Observed register for 立夏 births

立夏 marks the decisive shift to outward-moving, expansive activity. Born around 立夏 carries a register of bright assertion, public visibility, and the kind of forward-momentum that summer's heat amplifies. Career-visibility consultations often note this period favourably for brand-launches and ceremonies.

Why generic Beginning of Summer interpretation fails

The solar term is one structural layer of a BaZi chart, not the whole chart. The actual reading for someone born around 立夏 depends on the day pillar (the Day Master), the year and hour pillars, the chart's elemental balance, and the upcoming luck pillars. Generic per-solar-term descriptions can name the foundational seasonal register, but they cannot tell you what your specific chart says. Master Sean Chan’s BaZi consultation reads the full chart against your specific question.

• Identify whether your birth or your question's timing falls within 立夏 (May 5-7). For BaZi practice, this sectional term marks the month-pillar transition — births before vs. after the exact Beginning of Summer timestamp have different month pillars.
• Read the 立夏 register against your full chart. The solar term contributes a foundational layer; the rest of the chart determines actionable guidance.
• Plot your chart via the free BaZi Calculator to see how 立夏 interacts with your day, year, and hour pillars.
• Book chart-aware reading via BaZi consultation for high-stakes questions. Generic per-term reference is no substitute for the consultation.