Cold Dew (Hanlu 寒露): dates, pentads and the BaZi month change
The dew grows colder and is close to turning into frost. The northeast monsoon strengthens in Taiwan, and the north and northeast turn cooler and rainier.
Cold Dew dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar from this moment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | October 8 | 14:29 | Wu-Xu 戊戌 month |
| 2027 | October 8 | 20:17 | Geng-Xu 庚戌 month |
| 2028 | October 8 | 02:08 | Ren-Xu 壬戌 month |
| 2029 | October 8 | 07:58 | Jia-Xu 甲戌 month |
| 2030 | October 8 | 13:45 | Bing-Xu 丙戌 month |
| 2031 | October 8 | 19:42 | Wu-Xu 戊戌 month |
| 2032 | October 8 | 01:30 | Geng-Xu 庚戌 month |
| 2033 | October 8 | 07:13 | Ren-Xu 壬戌 month |
| 2034 | October 8 | 13:07 | Jia-Xu 甲戌 month |
| 2035 | October 8 | 18:57 | Bing-Xu 丙戌 month |
Times computed by our calendar code (UTC+8); they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. Between 1901 and 2100, Cold Dew always falls on October 7–9. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Cold Dew
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Wild geese arrive as guests (鴻雁來賓) | about days 1–5 after Cold Dew |
| Second pentad | Sparrows enter the sea and become clams (雀入大水為蛤) | about days 6–10 after Cold Dew |
| Third pentad | Chrysanthemums bloom yellow (菊有黃華) | about days 11–15 after Cold Dew |
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.
Cold Dew in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Cold Dew is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 195°. In 2027, at Cold Dew the Sun sits against the stars of Virgo (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Cold Dew means in BaZi
Cold Dew is a jie (節, "node") term: from this moment the Xu month (戌) begins, the month that roughly matches the 9th lunar month, and the BaZi month pillar switches to a new pillar. The Xu month's element is Earth, so for people born in it, Earth is usually "in season" and strong in the chart.
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 Autumn Equinox; the next is Frost's Descent.
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.
Born in the Xu month? See your whole chart
The month branch is the most important pillar in BaZi: it sets how strong each of the Five Elements is. Enter your birth date for a free Four Pillars chart.
Cold Dew: common questions
What date is Cold Dew in 2026?
In 2026, Cold Dew falls on October 8 at 14:29 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is October 8 at 20:17.
Why does Cold Dew move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 195°. 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, Cold Dew always falls on October 7–9.
What are the three pentads of Cold Dew?
First: Wild geese arrive as guests (鴻雁來賓); second: Sparrows enter the sea and become clams (雀入大水為蛤); third: Chrysanthemums bloom yellow (菊有黃華). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Cold Dew do in a BaZi chart?
It is a jie term: from this moment BaZi switches to the Xu month and the month pillar changes.