Chinese cultural term · reviewed 2026-10-21
节气
solar terms
jié qì · joints and breaths
Twenty-four seasonal markers based on the sun’s apparent position in the year.
A familiar bridge
Start from something known.
A sequence of seasonal checkpoints that divides the solar year in a way familiar to calendars, though the names and uses are culturally specific.
Worked example
See the term in position.
Lichun and Chunfen are two of the twenty-four terms; each occurs at a calculated astronomical instant.
Cultural context
What surrounds the word.
Chinese solar terms are not simply months. They are astronomical turning points used in calendars, agriculture, festivals, and traditional systems.
Boundary
What it does not mean.
A solar-term name is not always a holiday; nor does every term mark the same kind of boundary in every system.
Inside the portrait
How this term appears here.
The portrait locates the birth instant between the previous and next terms and uses declared conventions for relevant boundaries.