节气

Solar Terms

节气 · Jiéqì

The 24 markers of the Sun's yearly path used in the Chinese calendar. Twelve of them, called jié, begin BaZi months; Beginning of Spring also begins the BaZi year.

In more detail

The other twelve markers, called zhōngqì, alternate with the jié and do not start BaZi months. These solar boundaries are distinct from the new moons that begin lunar calendar months.

Also called: Twenty-Four Solar Terms · Jie Qi

The characters

节jiéjoint; node; a division of time
气qìair; breath; climate

Together, 节气 reads “joints of the climate”: the points that divide the year by its weather.

Sources

三命通会卷二 · 论四时节气：节与中气；论遁月时
Hong Kong Observatory · The 24 Solar Terms: minor and major terms; solar longitudes

These terms describe a traditional symbolic framework. Chart interpretation and our naming method remain experimental.

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