Minor Cold (Xiaohan 小寒): dates, pentads and the BaZi month change
Han (寒) means cold. Minor Cold says it is already very cold, just not yet at its coldest. In Taiwan this is when strong continental cold air masses and cold surges sweep south, and lowland temperatures can drop below 10°C (50°F).
Minor Cold dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar from this moment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | January 5 | 16:23 | Ji-Chou 己丑 month |
| 2027 | January 5 | 22:09 | Xin-Chou 辛丑 month |
| 2028 | January 6 | 03:54 | Gui-Chou 癸丑 month |
| 2029 | January 5 | 09:41 | Yi-Chou 乙丑 month |
| 2030 | January 5 | 15:30 | Ding-Chou 丁丑 month |
| 2031 | January 5 | 21:23 | Ji-Chou 己丑 month |
| 2032 | January 6 | 03:16 | Xin-Chou 辛丑 month |
| 2033 | January 5 | 09:08 | Gui-Chou 癸丑 month |
| 2034 | January 5 | 15:04 | Yi-Chou 乙丑 month |
| 2035 | January 5 | 20:55 | 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, Minor Cold always falls on January 4–7. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Minor Cold
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Wild geese turn north (雁北鄉) | about days 1–5 after Minor Cold |
| Second pentad | Magpies start to nest (鵲始巢) | about days 6–10 after Minor Cold |
| Third pentad | Pheasants call (雉雊) | about days 11–15 after Minor 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.
Minor Cold in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Minor Cold is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 285°. In 2027, at Minor Cold the Sun sits against the stars of Sagittarius (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Minor Cold means in BaZi
Minor Cold is a jie (節, "node") term: from this moment the Chou month (丑) begins, the month that roughly matches the 12th lunar month, and the BaZi month pillar switches to a new pillar. The Chou 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 Winter Solstice; the next is Major Cold.
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 Chou 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.
Minor Cold: common questions
What date is Minor Cold in 2026?
In 2026, Minor Cold falls on January 5 at 16:23 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is January 5 at 22:09.
Why does Minor Cold move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 285°. 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, Minor Cold always falls on January 4–7.
What are the three pentads of Minor Cold?
First: Wild geese turn north (雁北鄉); second: Magpies start to nest (鵲始巢); third: Pheasants call (雉雊). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Minor Cold do in a BaZi chart?
It is a jie term: from this moment BaZi switches to the Chou month and the month pillar changes.