Grain Rain (Guyu 穀雨): dates, pentads and meaning
From the saying "rain gives birth to the hundred grains": rainfall increases and helps the crops grow. Grain Rain is the last term of spring. Taiwan still gets plenty of spring rain, and the weather gradually turns hot.
Grain Rain dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | April 20 | 09:39 | still Ren-Chen 壬辰 month |
| 2027 | April 20 | 15:17 | still Jia-Chen 甲辰 month |
| 2028 | April 19 | 21:09 | still Bing-Chen 丙辰 month |
| 2029 | April 20 | 02:55 | still Wu-Chen 戊辰 month |
| 2030 | April 20 | 08:43 | still Geng-Chen 庚辰 month |
| 2031 | April 20 | 14:31 | still Ren-Chen 壬辰 month |
| 2032 | April 19 | 20:14 | still Jia-Chen 甲辰 month |
| 2033 | April 20 | 02:13 | still Bing-Chen 丙辰 month |
| 2034 | April 20 | 08:03 | still Wu-Chen 戊辰 month |
| 2035 | April 20 | 13:48 | still Geng-Chen 庚辰 month |
Times computed by our calendar code (UTC+8); they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. Between 1901 and 2100, Grain Rain always falls on April 19–21. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Grain Rain
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Duckweed begins to grow (萍始生) | about days 1–5 after Grain Rain |
| Second pentad | Turtledoves preen their feathers (鳴鳩拂其羽) | about days 6–10 after Grain Rain |
| Third pentad | Hoopoes alight on the mulberry trees (戴勝降於桑) | about days 11–15 after Grain Rain |
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.
Grain Rain in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Grain Rain is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 30°. In 2027, at Grain Rain the Sun sits against the stars of Aries (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Grain Rain means in BaZi
Grain Rain is a qi (氣), or "middle term" (中氣): it falls in the middle of the Chen month (辰), so the BaZi month pillar does not change here; it is the same Chen 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 Pure Brightness; the next is Start of Summer.
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.
Grain Rain: common questions
What date is Grain Rain in 2026?
In 2026, Grain Rain falls on April 20 at 09:39 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is April 20 at 15:17.
Why does Grain Rain move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 30°. 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, Grain Rain always falls on April 19–21.
What are the three pentads of Grain Rain?
First: Duckweed begins to grow (萍始生); second: Turtledoves preen their feathers (鳴鳩拂其羽); third: Hoopoes alight on the mulberry trees (戴勝降於桑). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Grain Rain do in a BaZi chart?
It is the middle term of the Chen month, so the month pillar does not change. BaZi changes months only at the jie terms.