End of Heat (Chushu 處暑): dates, pentads and meaning
Chu (處) means to stop: the summer heat is gradually coming to an end. In Taiwan it is still hot at this point, and typhoon season is not over.
End of Heat dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | August 23 | 10:18 | still Bing-Shen 丙申 month |
| 2027 | August 23 | 16:14 | still Wu-Shen 戊申 month |
| 2028 | August 22 | 22:00 | still Geng-Shen 庚申 month |
| 2029 | August 23 | 03:51 | still Ren-Shen 壬申 month |
| 2030 | August 23 | 09:36 | still Jia-Shen 甲申 month |
| 2031 | August 23 | 15:23 | still Bing-Shen 丙申 month |
| 2032 | August 22 | 21:18 | still Wu-Shen 戊申 month |
| 2033 | August 23 | 03:01 | still Geng-Shen 庚申 month |
| 2034 | August 23 | 08:47 | still Ren-Shen 壬申 month |
| 2035 | August 23 | 14:44 | still Jia-Shen 甲申 month |
Times computed by our calendar code (UTC+8); they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. Between 1901 and 2100, End of Heat always falls on August 22–24. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of End of Heat
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Hawks lay out their prey (鷹乃祭鳥) | about days 1–5 after End of Heat |
| Second pentad | Heaven and earth grow austere (天地始肅) | about days 6–10 after End of Heat |
| Third pentad | The grain ripens (禾乃登) | about days 11–15 after End of Heat |
The ancients split each solar term into three pentads (hou 候) of about five days each, and marked them by changes in birds, animals and plants: seventy-two pentads a year. These follow the standard list in Wu Cheng's Yuan-dynasty Collected Explanations of the Seventy-Two Pentads. They were observed in the Yellow River basin, so they do not always match what you see in Taiwan, let alone elsewhere. Some, like hawks turning into doves, record old beliefs rather than biology.
End of Heat in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and End of Heat is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 150°. In 2027, at End of Heat the Sun sits against the stars of Leo (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What End of Heat means in BaZi
End of Heat is a qi (氣), or "middle term" (中氣): it falls in the middle of the Shen month (申), so the BaZi month pillar does not change here; it is the same Shen month before and after. Middle terms matter in the calendar for another reason: a lunar month with no middle term in it becomes the leap month.
BaZi months are not counted from the lunar new moon but from the jie terms: Start of Spring, Awakening of Insects, Pure Brightness, Start of Summer, Grain in Ear, Minor Heat, Start of Autumn, White Dew, Cold Dew, Start of Winter, Major Snow and Minor Cold each open a month. If you were born on the day of a jie term, within a few hours of it, your month pillar (and for the Start of Spring, your year pillar too) can shift by one; it depends on the exact time. See solar term boundaries, and for how the month's heavenly stem is worked out, the month pillar.
Look up the solar terms for any year
Pick a year to list the exact time of all 24 solar terms (Taiwan time, UTC+8) and the month pillar each jie term starts. Add a month and day, such as a birthday, to see which solar-term period it falls in and its month pillar. Everything is calculated in your browser.
The times come from the same calendar code our BaZi charts use; for 1901–2100 they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. If you were born within minutes of a term changing, see solar term boundaries.
The terms before and after
The previous term is Start of Autumn; the next is White Dew.
A straight word: solar terms are astronomy; luck is something else
The twenty-four solar terms divide the year by the Sun's position on the ecliptic, and their times can be computed to the second. BaZi uses them to change the year and the month; that is a rule of calculation. A solar term carries no good or bad luck of its own, and no term is a "better" one to be born in: a chart is read as a whole, by its Five Elements and Ten Gods. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Solar terms set the month; the month sets strength
Enter your birth date for a free Four Pillars chart and see your month element and the balance of your whole chart.
End of Heat: common questions
What date is End of Heat in 2026?
In 2026, End of Heat falls on August 23 at 10:18 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is August 23 at 16:14.
Why does End of Heat move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 150°. A year is about 365.24 days, not a whole number, and leap years reset the count, so the date drifts within a few days. From 1901 to 2100, End of Heat always falls on August 22–24.
What are the three pentads of End of Heat?
First: Hawks lay out their prey (鷹乃祭鳥); second: Heaven and earth grow austere (天地始肅); third: The grain ripens (禾乃登). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does End of Heat do in a BaZi chart?
It is the middle term of the Shen month, so the month pillar does not change. BaZi changes months only at the jie terms.