SOLAR TERMS
The 24 solar terms, exact dates and times.
The 24 solar terms divide the sun’s yearly path into 15° steps. This page computes the exact date and time (Beijing time) of every term from 1900 to 2100 using an astronomical algorithm — browse a whole year, or check whether any given day is a solar term.
Today
Check a date
The 24 solar terms
| Term | Solar date | Time | Weekday | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 小寒Minor Cold | Jan 5, 2026 | 16:19 | Monday | Month 11, 17 |
| 大寒Major Cold | Jan 20, 2026 | 09:41 | Tuesday | Month 12, 2 |
| 立春Start of Spring | Feb 4, 2026 | 03:56 | Wednesday | Month 12, 17 |
| 雨水Rain Water | Feb 18, 2026 | 23:46 | Wednesday | Month 1, 2 |
| 惊蛰Awakening of Insects | Mar 5, 2026 | 21:50 | Thursday | Month 1, 17 |
| 春分 ★Spring Equinox | Mar 20, 2026 | 22:38 | Friday | Month 2, 2 |
| 清明Pure Brightness | Apr 5, 2026 | 02:29 | Sunday | Month 2, 18 |
| 谷雨Grain Rain | Apr 20, 2026 | 09:30 | Monday | Month 3, 4 |
| 立夏Start of Summer | May 5, 2026 | 19:36 | Tuesday | Month 3, 19 |
| 小满Grain Buds | May 21, 2026 | 08:29 | Thursday | Month 4, 5 |
| 芒种Grain in Ear | Jun 5, 2026 | 23:38 | Friday | Month 4, 20 |
| 夏至 ★Summer Solstice | Jun 21, 2026 | 16:21 | Sunday | Month 5, 7 |
| 小暑Minor Heat | Jul 7, 2026 | 09:50 | Tuesday | Month 5, 23 |
| 大暑Major Heat | Jul 23, 2026 | 03:14 | Thursday | Month 6, 10 |
| 立秋Start of Autumn | Aug 7, 2026 | 19:40 | Friday | Month 6, 25 |
| 处暑End of Heat | Aug 23, 2026 | 10:23 | Sunday | Month 7, 11 |
| 白露White Dew | Sep 7, 2026 | 22:42 | Monday | Month 7, 26 |
| 秋分 ★Autumn Equinox | Sep 23, 2026 | 08:10 | Wednesday | Month 8, 13 |
| 寒露Cold's Dew | Oct 8, 2026 | 14:30 | Thursday | Month 8, 28 |
| 霜降Frost's Descent | Oct 23, 2026 | 17:41 | Friday | Month 9, 14 |
| 立冬Start of Winter | Nov 7, 2026 | 17:51 | Saturday | Month 9, 29 |
| 小雪Minor Snow | Nov 22, 2026 | 15:24 | Sunday | Month 10, 14 |
| 大雪Major Snow | Dec 7, 2026 | 10:50 | Monday | Month 10, 29 |
| 冬至 ★Winter Solstice | Dec 22, 2026 | 04:49 | Tuesday | Month 11, 14 |
★ marks the four key terms: the equinoxes and solstices.
How to use
The “Today” card shows the current term and a countdown. “Check a date” tells you whether an arbitrary day is a solar term. “The 24 solar terms” lists every term of the selected year with its solar date, exact time, weekday and matching lunar date; the four key terms (equinoxes and solstices) are starred.
FAQ
Do the dates change every year?
Yes. The tropical year is about 365.2422 days — slightly shorter than the calendar year — so each term arrives roughly 5 hours 49 minutes earlier every year. After about four years that adds up to a full day, which is why a term can fall on either of two adjacent dates. Always pick a year.
Why are the times in Beijing time?
Solar terms are assigned to dates in UTC+8, the convention used by Chinese almanacs and perpetual calendars. The winter solstice of 2026 is still 21 December in UTC but already 22 December in Beijing time — this page uses the latter.
How accurate is the calculation?
It uses Meeus’ apparent solar longitude formula with a Newton–Raphson root search; the formula itself is accurate to about 0.01° (roughly 15 minutes). The dates match published almanacs, with individual years differing by a minute or two.
How do solar terms relate to the lunar calendar?
The 24 solar terms belong to the solar calendar, while the lunar months follow the moon, so the two do not line up month for month. This page shows the lunar date of each term for convenience, but the two systems should not be mixed.
示例与注意事项Example & notes
一个例子A worked example
查 2026 年立春：把年份切到 2026，表里第一行之后的「立春」显示公历 2026年2月4日 时刻 05:46，对应农历丙午年正月初七；旁边还能看到当天是星期三。Looking up the Start of Spring in 2026: switch the year to 2026 and the table shows 4 Feb 2026 at 05:46, which is the 7th day of the 1st lunar month of the Bing-Wu year; the weekday sits right next to it.
注意事项Things to watch
- 节气属于太阳历，与农历月日并不固定对应，表格中的农历列只是方便对照查阅，不要把两套历法混用。Solar terms belong to the solar calendar and do not line up with lunar months; the lunar column is there for convenience only.
- 本页时刻按北京时间（UTC+8）归日，与国内万年历口径一致；例如 2026 年冬至按 UTC 仍是 12 月 21 日，按北京时间已是 12 月 22 日。Times are assigned to dates in UTC+8, matching Chinese perpetual calendars — the 2026 winter solstice is still 21 December in UTC but already 22 December in Beijing time.
- 回归年约 365.2422 天，比公历年短约 5 小时 49 分，所以同一节气每年提前约 5 小时 49 分，累积到四年左右就差出一天，节气常在相邻两天间摆动。The tropical year is about 365.2422 days — roughly 5 h 49 min shorter than the calendar year — so each term arrives about that much earlier every year and slips a full day every four years.
- 精度采用 Meeus《天文算法》太阳视黄经公式加牛顿迭代，公式误差约 0.01°（15 分钟），个别年份与某些历书可能相差一两分钟。Accuracy comes from Meeus’ apparent solar longitude with a Newton root search; the formula is good to about 0.01° (15 minutes), so individual years may differ from some almanacs by a minute or two.
相关问答More Q&A
为什么春分和秋分不一定在同一天？Why are the equinoxes not always on the same date?
春分多在 3 月 20 日前后、秋分多在 9 月 22 日前后，但两分点相距约 186 天且会被闰年拉长或缩短，因此个别年份会前后错开一天。The March equinox falls near 20 March and the September one near 22 September, but the two are about 186 days apart and leap years stretch or shorten the gap, so in some years they shift by a day.
怎么查某一年某一年的节气？How do I look up a specific year?
用上方的年份下拉框切换年份，表格会立刻重算该年 24 个节气的日期与时刻；若只想确认某一天，直接在「指定日期查询」里选日期即可。Use the year dropdown — the table recalculates instantly. If you only need to check one day, pick it in the date lookup section above.