Start of Summer (Lixia 立夏): dates, pentads and the BaZi month change
The start of summer. Temperatures in Taiwan rise noticeably, and the plum rain season is approaching.
Start of Summer dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar from this moment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 5 | 19:48 | Gui-Si 癸巳 month |
| 2027 | May 6 | 01:25 | Yi-Si 乙巳 month |
| 2028 | May 5 | 07:12 | Ding-Si 丁巳 month |
| 2029 | May 5 | 13:07 | Ji-Si 己巳 month |
| 2030 | May 5 | 18:46 | Xin-Si 辛巳 month |
| 2031 | May 6 | 00:35 | Gui-Si 癸巳 month |
| 2032 | May 5 | 06:25 | Yi-Si 乙巳 month |
| 2033 | May 5 | 12:13 | Ding-Si 丁巳 month |
| 2034 | May 5 | 18:09 | Ji-Si 己巳 month |
| 2035 | May 5 | 23:54 | Xin-Si 辛巳 month |
Times computed by our calendar code (UTC+8); they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. Between 1901 and 2100, Start of Summer always falls on May 4–7. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Start of Summer
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Mole crickets chirp (螻蟈鳴) | about days 1–5 after Start of Summer |
| Second pentad | Earthworms come out (蚯蚓出) | about days 6–10 after Start of Summer |
| Third pentad | Snake gourds grow (王瓜生) | about days 11–15 after Start of Summer |
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.
Start of Summer in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Start of Summer is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 45°. In 2027, at Start of Summer the Sun sits against the stars of Aries (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Start of Summer means in BaZi
Start of Summer is a jie (節, "node") term: from this moment the Si month (巳) begins, the month that roughly matches the 4th lunar month, and the BaZi month pillar switches to a new pillar. The Si month's element is Fire, so for people born in it, Fire 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 Grain Rain; the next is Grain Buds.
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 Si 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.
Start of Summer: common questions
What date is Start of Summer in 2026?
In 2026, Start of Summer falls on May 5 at 19:48 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is May 6 at 01:25.
Why does Start of Summer move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 45°. 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, Start of Summer always falls on May 4–7.
What are the three pentads of Start of Summer?
First: Mole crickets chirp (螻蟈鳴); second: Earthworms come out (蚯蚓出); third: Snake gourds grow (王瓜生). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Start of Summer do in a BaZi chart?
It is a jie term: from this moment BaZi switches to the Si month and the month pillar changes.