The 24 solar terms are a time system devised by ancient Chinese from the sun path, listed as UNESCO intangible heritage in 2016.
The year divides into 24 nodes - Start of Spring, Rain Water, Waking of Insects, Spring Equinox, Pure Brightness, Grain Rain and so on - about 15 days each, guiding farming, life and wellness.
Customs: at Start of Spring people eat spring pancakes; at Pure Brightness (Qingming) they sweep graves and picnic on green dumplings; at Winter Solstice northerners eat dumplings, southerners tangyuan; at Summer Solstice, noodles.
Names are nature notes: Waking of Insects brings spring thunder and awakening; Frost Descent turns the weather cold; Grain Full and Grain in Ear mark the ripening fields.
Today the terms still appear on weather apps and calendars; sayings like "spring cover, autumn freeze" and "winter radish, summer ginger" come straight from this wisdom.
For learners, the solar terms are a key to the Chinese idea of living in harmony with nature and to festival culture.
The 24 solar terms are Chinese knowledge of time derived from observing the sun and seasons, listed as world intangible heritage in 2016. A year is divided into 24 terms, each about 15 days.
The names are poetic: Beginning of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright, Grain Rain, Beginning of Summer, Grain Full, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, Major Heat, Beginning of Autumn, End of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, Frost Descent, Beginning of Winter, Light Snow, Heavy Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold, Major Cold.
The terms tie closely to farming, food and health. "Awakening of Insects" - hibernating animals wake, farmers prepare spring ploughing; around "Clear and Bright", plant melons and beans; "Grain in Ear" - harvest wheat, transplant rice.
They are life reminders too: eat meat at Beginning of Autumn ("sticking autumn fat"), eat dumplings at Winter Solstice - a joke says "no dumplings at solstice, your ears freeze off". A joke, but the custom is real.
At Spring and Autumn Equinox day and night are equal; Summer Solstice has the longest day, Winter Solstice the shortest. Without weather forecasts, the ancients arranged their whole year by watching the sun and nature.
The terms hold Chinese wisdom: follow nature, do not miss farming seasons. Sow when due, harvest when due, rest when due. This "heaven-human harmony" still guides Chinese life today.
Many young Chinese live by the terms: spring outings at Qingming, tonic food at winter solstice, mung-bean soup at major heat. The terms are not just calendar words but the rhythm of Chinese life.
Travelling in China, watch the changes the terms bring: around Qingming in the south, drizzle and rape flowers; after Beginning of Winter in the north, the first snow. The terms are China most beautiful "time map".
To understand Chinese culture, memorising the 24 terms is a great start - you will see how gently Chinese people get along with time.
The 24 terms were made into a children song every Chinese child knows: "spring rain startles clear grain heaven..." Marking days by terms is a skill passed down for generations. Learning Chinese? Learn this terms song too - it helps you remember all 24 names and gives you a fun conversation topic. Next time someone asks what solar term today is, answer correctly and they will be delighted.
