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

YearDateTime (Taiwan, UTC+8)Month pillar from this moment
2026January 516:23Ji-Chou 己丑 month
2027January 522:09Xin-Chou 辛丑 month
2028January 603:54Gui-Chou 癸丑 month
2029January 509:41Yi-Chou 乙丑 month
2030January 515:30Ding-Chou 丁丑 month
2031January 521:23Ji-Chou 己丑 month
2032January 603:16Xin-Chou 辛丑 month
2033January 509:08Gui-Chou 癸丑 month
2034January 515:04Yi-Chou 乙丑 month
2035January 520:55Ding-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 seasonWhen
First pentadWild geese turn north (雁北鄉)about days 1–5 after Minor Cold
Second pentadMagpies start to nest (鵲始巢)about days 6–10 after Minor Cold
Third pentadPheasants 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.

Start of SpringLichun 立春 · Yin month starts · Feb 4 Rain WaterYushui 雨水 · Yin month midpoint · Feb 19 Awakening of InsectsJingzhe 驚蟄 · Mao month starts · Mar 6 Spring EquinoxChunfen 春分 · Mao month midpoint · Mar 21 Pure BrightnessQingming 清明 · Chen month starts · Apr 5 Grain RainGuyu 穀雨 · Chen month midpoint · Apr 20 Start of SummerLixia 立夏 · Si month starts · May 6 Grain BudsXiaoman 小滿 · Si month midpoint · May 21 Grain in EarMangzhong 芒種 · Wu month starts · Jun 6 Summer SolsticeXiazhi 夏至 · Wu month midpoint · Jun 21 Minor HeatXiaoshu 小暑 · Wei month starts · Jul 7 Major HeatDashu 大暑 · Wei month midpoint · Jul 23 Start of AutumnLiqiu 立秋 · Shen month starts · Aug 8 End of HeatChushu 處暑 · Shen month midpoint · Aug 23 White DewBailu 白露 · You month starts · Sep 8 Autumn EquinoxQiufen 秋分 · You month midpoint · Sep 23 Cold DewHanlu 寒露 · Xu month starts · Oct 8 Frost's DescentShuangjiang 霜降 · Xu month midpoint · Oct 23 Start of WinterLidong 立冬 · Hai month starts · Nov 7 Minor SnowXiaoxue 小雪 · Hai month midpoint · Nov 22 Major SnowDaxue 大雪 · Zi month starts · Dec 7 Winter SolsticeDongzhi 冬至 · Zi month midpoint · Dec 22 Major ColdDahan 大寒 · Chou month midpoint · Jan 20

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.