---
title: "The 24 Chinese Solar Terms: Names, Meanings and 2026 and 2027 Dates With Pinyin and Sound"
description: "The 24 solar terms of the Chinese calendar, from 立春 Start of Spring to 大寒 Major Cold, each in Chinese with pinyin, its English name, the next date it falls on in China and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-solar-terms"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 24 terms

# The 24 solar terms

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E7%AB%8B%E6%98%A5%20%E9%9B%A8%E6%B0%B4%20%E6%83%8A%E8%9B%B0%20%E6%98%A5%E5%88%86%20%E6%B8%85%E6%98%8E%20%E8%B0%B7%E9%9B%A8%20%E7%AB%8B%E5%A4%8F%20%E5%B0%8F%E6%BB%A1%20%E8%8A%92%E7%A7%8D%20%E5%A4%8F%E8%87%B3%20%E5%B0%8F%E6%9A%91%20%E5%A4%A7%E6%9A%91%20%E7%AB%8B%E7%A7%8B%20%E5%A4%84%E6%9A%91%20%E7%99%BD%E9%9C%B2%20%E7%A7%8B%E5%88%86%20%E5%AF%92%E9%9C%B2%20%E9%9C%9C%E9%99%8D%20%E7%AB%8B%E5%86%AC%20%E5%B0%8F%E9%9B%AA%20%E5%A4%A7%E9%9B%AA%20%E5%86%AC%E8%87%B3%20%E5%B0%8F%E5%AF%92%20%E5%A4%A7%E5%AF%92)

Speed

## Spring

lì立chūn春

Start of Spring · 4 February 2027

yǔ雨shuǐ水

Rain Water · 19 February 2027

jīng惊zhé蛰

Awakening of Insects · 6 March 2027

chūn春fēn分

Spring Equinox · 21 March 2027

qīng清míng明

Pure Brightness · 5 April 2027

gǔ谷yǔ雨

Grain Rain · 20 April 2027

## Summer

lì立xià夏

Start of Summer · 6 May 2027

xiǎo小mǎn满

Grain Buds · 21 May 2027

máng芒zhòng种

Grain in Ear · 6 June 2027

xià夏zhì至

Summer Solstice · 21 June 2027

xiǎo小shǔ暑

Minor Heat · 7 July 2027

dà大shǔ暑

Major Heat · 23 July 2027

## Autumn

lì立qiū秋

Start of Autumn · 8 August 2027

chǔ处shǔ暑

End of Heat · 23 August 2027

bái白lù露

White Dew · 8 September 2027

qiū秋fēn分

Autumn Equinox · 23 September 2027

hán寒lù露

Cold Dew · 8 October 2027

shuāng霜jiàng降

Frost’s Descent · 23 October 2027

## Winter

lì立dōng冬

Start of Winter · 7 November 2026

xiǎo小xuě雪

Minor Snow · 22 November 2026

dà大xuě雪

Major Snow · 7 December 2026

dōng冬zhì至

Winter Solstice · 22 December 2026

xiǎo小hán寒

Minor Cold · 5 January 2027

dà大hán寒

Major Cold · 20 January 2027

## When is the next solar term?

立冬 (lìdōng, Start of Winter) on 7 November 2026.

## What are the 24 solar terms?

二十四节气 (èrshísì jiéqì) divide the year by the sun into 24 parts of about 15 days, each named for the weather or the farm work of its season. They begin with 立春 (lìchūn, Start of Spring) in early February.

## Why do the dates change from year to year?

Each term begins when the sun reaches a set point in the sky, which falls a day earlier or later in different years. The dates here are China’s, from the Hong Kong Observatory’s tables.

## Which solar term is also a festival?

清明 (qīngmíng, Pure Brightness) is both a solar term and Tomb-Sweeping Day, and 冬至 (dōngzhì, the Winter Solstice) is a family festival in much of China.

## Can’t hear it?

Play uses your device’s Mandarin voice. Edge, Chrome and Safari have one; a browser with none plays each character in our recorded voice instead.

## More on the Chinese calendar

- [The Chinese calendar converter](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-calendar)
- [Chinese festivals](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-festivals)
- [Planets and stars in Chinese](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-planets-and-stars)
- [The Chinese zodiac](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac)

Dates from the Hong Kong Observatory’s tables, in China’s time; pinyin from our own dictionary.