Major Cold (Dahan 大寒): dates, pentads and meaning
The coldest stretch of the year, and the last of the twenty-four terms. Once it passes, spring begins. Major Cold usually falls close to the end of the lunar year, so year-end company banquets, the big house clean and New Year shopping all tend to happen now.
Major Cold dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | January 20 | 09:44 | still Ji-Chou 己丑 month |
| 2027 | January 20 | 15:29 | still Xin-Chou 辛丑 month |
| 2028 | January 20 | 21:21 | still Gui-Chou 癸丑 month |
| 2029 | January 20 | 03:00 | still Yi-Chou 乙丑 month |
| 2030 | January 20 | 08:54 | still Ding-Chou 丁丑 month |
| 2031 | January 20 | 14:47 | still Ji-Chou 己丑 month |
| 2032 | January 20 | 20:31 | still Xin-Chou 辛丑 month |
| 2033 | January 20 | 02:32 | still Gui-Chou 癸丑 month |
| 2034 | January 20 | 08:27 | still Yi-Chou 乙丑 month |
| 2035 | January 20 | 14:14 | still Ding-Chou 丁丑 month |
Times computed by our calendar code (UTC+8); they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. Between 1901 and 2100, Major Cold always falls on January 19–21. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Major Cold
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Hens begin to brood (雞乳) | about days 1–5 after Major Cold |
| Second pentad | Birds of prey fly high and fierce (征鳥厲疾) | about days 6–10 after Major Cold |
| Third pentad | Ponds freeze solid to the middle (水澤腹堅) | about days 11–15 after Major Cold |
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.
Major Cold in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Major Cold is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 300°. In 2027, at Major Cold the Sun sits against the stars of Sagittarius (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Major Cold means in BaZi
Major Cold is a qi (氣), or "middle term" (中氣): it falls in the middle of the Chou month (丑), so the BaZi month pillar does not change here; it is the same Chou 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 Minor Cold; the next is Start of Spring.
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.
Major Cold: common questions
What date is Major Cold in 2026?
In 2026, Major Cold falls on January 20 at 09:44 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is January 20 at 15:29.
Why does Major Cold move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 300°. 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, Major Cold always falls on January 19–21.
What are the three pentads of Major Cold?
First: Hens begin to brood (雞乳); second: Birds of prey fly high and fierce (征鳥厲疾); third: Ponds freeze solid to the middle (水澤腹堅). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Major Cold do in a BaZi chart?
It is the middle term of the Chou month, so the month pillar does not change. BaZi changes months only at the jie terms.