Frost’s Descent, 23 October to 6 November
Solar calendar · 节气

The 24 Breaths of the year

The Chinese tradition divides the solar year into twenty-four breaths (节气 jiéqì) of about fifteen days, each tied to a Phase. An age-old way of tuning daily life (and one’s herbs) to the rhythm of the sky.

Right now

Frost’s Descent Shuāngjiàng

23 October to 6 November · Phase: Metal

First frosts; Metal completes its work of stripping bare before winter.

Against the dryness of autumn: the tradition goes to the sour and the sweet; natures neutral to warm, while moderating the pungent (省辛增酸).

What comes next 立冬 Beginning of Winter 7 to 21 November

The seasonal selection

Spring · the rising

  1. 立春Beginning of SpringLìchūn 4 to 18 February

    Yang sets itself moving again beneath the surface; the year’s first impulse, as the tradition has it.

  2. 雨水Rain WaterYǔshuǐ 19 February to 5 March

    Rain takes the place of snow; the sap begins to rise, everything softens.

  3. 惊蛰Waking of InsectsJīngzhé 6 to 20 March

    Thunder wakes what lay sleeping; the impulse of Wood makes itself felt in bodies as in fields.

  4. 春分Spring EquinoxChūnfēn 21 March to 4 April

    Day and night come level; the tradition reads it as the moment to bring the impulse into accord without forcing it.

  5. 清明Pure BrightnessQīngmíng 5 to 19 April

    The air is clear, the light sharp; a time of lightness and of setting things in order.

  6. 谷雨Grain RainGǔyǔ 20 April to 5 May

    The last rains of spring, which bring on the seedlings; Wood reaches its fullness.

Summer · fullness

  1. 立夏Beginning of SummerLìxià 6 to 20 May

    Fire takes over: visible growth, lengthening days, hearts lifted.

  2. 小满Minor FullnessXiǎomǎn 21 May to 5 June

    The grains fill without being ripe; the tradition prizes this almost-full, a promise without excess.

  3. 芒种Grain in EarMángzhòng 6 to 20 June

    Sowing and harvest cross; a spell of intense activity in which care is taken not to wear oneself out.

  4. 夏至Summer SolsticeXiàzhì 21 June to 6 July

    Yang reaches its height, and Yin is born at the very heart of that summit, the tradition recalls.

  5. 小暑Minor HeatXiǎoshǔ 7 to 22 July

    The heat asserts itself without reaching its peak; the plate is lightened and gentle coolness is sought.

  6. 大暑Major HeatDàshǔ 23 July to 7 August

    The peak of the heat, often damp: the tradition opens here the “long end of summer”, season of the Earth.

Autumn · the gathering inward

  1. 立秋Beginning of AutumnLìqiū 8 to 22 August

    Autumn announces itself in the air while Earth goes on ripening the fruit.

  2. 处暑End of HeatChǔshǔ 23 August to 7 September

    The great heats withdraw; a time of anchoring and of transformation before the harvest.

  3. 白露White DewBáilù 8 to 22 September

    The first dews whiten the dawn; Metal brings clarity and a dry coolness.

  4. 秋分Autumn EquinoxQiūfēn 23 September to 7 October

    Day and night come level once more; the tradition calls for gathering in and for sorting.

  5. 寒露Cold DewHánlù 8 to 22 October

    The dew turns cold; one draws in and covers up, says the tradition.

  6. 霜降Frost’s DescentShuāngjiàngRight now 23 October to 6 November

    First frosts; Metal completes its work of stripping bare before winter.

Winter · the depth

  1. 立冬Beginning of WinterLìdōng 7 to 21 November

    Water takes the watch: one goes indoors, slows down, and begins to lay energy by.

  2. 小雪Minor SnowXiǎoxuě 22 November to 6 December

    The first snows barely hold; the inward withdrawal deepens.

  3. 大雪Major SnowDàxuě 7 to 20 December

    The snow settles in; the tradition favours the warmth of the hearth and deep foods.

  4. 冬至Winter SolsticeDōngzhì 21 December to 4 January

    The longest night, and the rebirth of Yang at its heart: the feast of the light’s return.

  5. 小寒Minor ColdXiǎohán 5 to 19 January

    The cold settles in for good; the tradition speaks of keeping one’s reserves and of the register of the depths.

  6. 大寒Major ColdDàhán 20 January to 3 February

    The coldest point of the year: the hearth is kept, and the return of spring is quietly made ready.

Lunar calendar · 农历

The other clock, the moon

Months follow the moon, breaths follow the sun: two clocks in one calendar.

It is the moon that sets the feasts, which is why their gregorian date moves every year.

Full moon

Month 9, day 17

丙午 bǐngwǔ Year of the Fire Horse

  1. 春节 Lunar New Year Chūnjié February 17, 2026
  2. 元宵 Lantern Festival Yuánxiāo March 3, 2026
  3. 端午 Dragon Boat Festival Duānwǔ June 19, 2026
  4. 七夕 Double Seventh Night Qīxī August 19, 2026
  5. 中秋 Mid-Autumn Festival Zhōngqiū September 25, 2026
  6. 重阳 Double Ninth Festival Chóngyáng October 18, 2026
  7. 腊八 Laba Festival Làbā January 15, 2027Next
  8. 春节 Lunar New Year Chūnjié February 6, 2027

Two feasts escape the moon: they fall with the sun, and so are read among the breaths. 清明 Pure Brightness 冬至 Winter Solstice

The dates are the average dates of the solar calendar (give or take a day depending on the year).

Chinese tradition

Find your season of the moment

A few questions, a reading of your season of the moment in the classical register, and a selection to match.