Grain Buds (Xiaoman 小滿): dates, pentads and meaning
The grains of summer crops such as wheat start to fill out but are not yet fully ripe, hence "small fullness." Taiwan's plum rain season runs roughly through May and June, so this term often brings fronts moving back and forth and afternoon thunderstorms.
Grain Buds dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 21 | 08:36 | still Gui-Si 癸巳 month |
| 2027 | May 21 | 14:18 | still Yi-Si 乙巳 month |
| 2028 | May 20 | 20:09 | still Ding-Si 丁巳 month |
| 2029 | May 21 | 01:55 | still Ji-Si 己巳 month |
| 2030 | May 21 | 07:41 | still Xin-Si 辛巳 month |
| 2031 | May 21 | 13:27 | still Gui-Si 癸巳 month |
| 2032 | May 20 | 19:15 | still Yi-Si 乙巳 month |
| 2033 | May 21 | 01:10 | still Ding-Si 丁巳 month |
| 2034 | May 21 | 06:56 | still Ji-Si 己巳 month |
| 2035 | May 21 | 12:43 | still 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, Grain Buds always falls on May 20–22. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Grain Buds
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Sow thistle flourishes (苦菜秀) | about days 1–5 after Grain Buds |
| Second pentad | Delicate grasses wither (靡草死) | about days 6–10 after Grain Buds |
| Third pentad | The wheat harvest arrives (麥秋至) | about days 11–15 after Grain Buds |
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 Buds in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Grain Buds is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 60°. In 2027, at Grain Buds the Sun sits against the stars of Taurus (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Grain Buds means in BaZi
Grain Buds is a qi (氣), or "middle term" (中氣): it falls in the middle of the Si month (巳), so the BaZi month pillar does not change here; it is the same Si month before and after. Middle terms matter in the calendar for another reason: a lunar month with no middle term in it becomes the leap month.
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 Start of Summer; the next is Grain in Ear.
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.
Solar terms set the month; the month sets strength
Enter your birth date for a free Four Pillars chart and see your month element and the balance of your whole chart.
Grain Buds: common questions
What date is Grain Buds in 2026?
In 2026, Grain Buds falls on May 21 at 08:36 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is May 21 at 14:18.
Why does Grain Buds move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 60°. 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 Buds always falls on May 20–22.
What are the three pentads of Grain Buds?
First: Sow thistle flourishes (苦菜秀); second: Delicate grasses wither (靡草死); third: The wheat harvest arrives (麥秋至). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Grain Buds do in a BaZi chart?
It is the middle term of the Si month, so the month pillar does not change. BaZi changes months only at the jie terms.