Grain in Ear (Mangzhong 芒種): dates, pentads and the BaZi month change
Bearded wheat is ready to harvest and bearded rice must be sown quickly, so the term is also punned as "busy sowing." Taiwan is usually still in the plum rain season, with heavy, concentrated rainfall.
Grain in Ear dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar from this moment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | June 5 | 23:48 | Jia-Wu 甲午 month |
| 2027 | June 6 | 05:25 | Bing-Wu 丙午 month |
| 2028 | June 5 | 11:16 | Wu-Wu 戊午 month |
| 2029 | June 5 | 17:09 | Geng-Wu 庚午 month |
| 2030 | June 5 | 22:44 | Ren-Wu 壬午 month |
| 2031 | June 6 | 04:35 | Jia-Wu 甲午 month |
| 2032 | June 5 | 10:27 | Bing-Wu 丙午 month |
| 2033 | June 5 | 16:13 | Wu-Wu 戊午 month |
| 2034 | June 5 | 22:06 | Geng-Wu 庚午 month |
| 2035 | June 6 | 03:50 | Ren-Wu 壬午 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 in Ear always falls on June 4–7. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Grain in Ear
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Mantises hatch (螳螂生) | about days 1–5 after Grain in Ear |
| Second pentad | Shrikes begin to call (鵙始鳴) | about days 6–10 after Grain in Ear |
| Third pentad | Mockingbirds fall silent (反舌無聲) | about days 11–15 after Grain in Ear |
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 in Ear in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Grain in Ear is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 75°. In 2027, at Grain in Ear the Sun sits against the stars of Taurus (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Grain in Ear means in BaZi
Grain in Ear is a jie (節, "node") term: from this moment the Wu month (午) begins, the month that roughly matches the 5th lunar month, and the BaZi month pillar switches to a new pillar. The Wu 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 Buds; the next is Summer Solstice.
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 Wu 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.
Grain in Ear: common questions
What date is Grain in Ear in 2026?
In 2026, Grain in Ear falls on June 5 at 23:48 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is June 6 at 05:25.
Why does Grain in Ear move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 75°. 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 in Ear always falls on June 4–7.
What are the three pentads of Grain in Ear?
First: Mantises hatch (螳螂生); second: Shrikes begin to call (鵙始鳴); third: Mockingbirds fall silent (反舌無聲). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Grain in Ear do in a BaZi chart?
It is a jie term: from this moment BaZi switches to the Wu month and the month pillar changes.