Rain Water (Yushui 雨水): dates, pentads and meaning
The weather warms, precipitation turns from snow to rain, and rainfall starts to increase. Northern Taiwan often has damp, chilly spring rain now, while the center and south are mostly still fairly dry.
Rain Water dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | February 18 | 23:51 | still Geng-Yin 庚寅 month |
| 2027 | February 19 | 05:33 | still Ren-Yin 壬寅 month |
| 2028 | February 19 | 11:26 | still Jia-Yin 甲寅 month |
| 2029 | February 18 | 17:07 | still Bing-Yin 丙寅 month |
| 2030 | February 18 | 22:59 | still Wu-Yin 戊寅 month |
| 2031 | February 19 | 04:50 | still Geng-Yin 庚寅 month |
| 2032 | February 19 | 10:32 | still Ren-Yin 壬寅 month |
| 2033 | February 18 | 16:33 | still Jia-Yin 甲寅 month |
| 2034 | February 18 | 22:30 | still Bing-Yin 丙寅 month |
| 2035 | February 19 | 04:16 | still Wu-Yin 戊寅 month |
Times computed by our calendar code (UTC+8); they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. Between 1901 and 2100, Rain Water always falls on February 18–20. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Rain Water
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Otters lay out the fish they catch (獺祭魚) | about days 1–5 after Rain Water |
| Second pentad | Wild geese fly north (候雁北) | about days 6–10 after Rain Water |
| Third pentad | Plants begin to sprout (草木萌動) | about days 11–15 after Rain Water |
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.
Rain Water in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Rain Water is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 330°. In 2027, at Rain Water the Sun sits against the stars of Aquarius (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Rain Water means in BaZi
Rain Water is a qi (氣), or "middle term" (中氣): it falls in the middle of the Yin month (寅), so the BaZi month pillar does not change here; it is the same Yin 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 Spring; the next is Awakening of Insects.
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.
Rain Water: common questions
What date is Rain Water in 2026?
In 2026, Rain Water falls on February 18 at 23:51 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is February 19 at 05:33.
Why does Rain Water move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 330°. 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, Rain Water always falls on February 18–20.
What are the three pentads of Rain Water?
First: Otters lay out the fish they catch (獺祭魚); second: Wild geese fly north (候雁北); third: Plants begin to sprout (草木萌動). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Rain Water do in a BaZi chart?
It is the middle term of the Yin month, so the month pillar does not change. BaZi changes months only at the jie terms.