Solar Terms vs Lunar Months: Dates, Seasonal Meaning and Local Customs

Publicado por Anthony
el noviembre 14, 2026

Learn how solar terms and lunar months work together in the Chinese calendar, with examples from Qingming, the Dragon Boat Festival and the 2025 leap month.

Quick Answer: How Do Solar Terms and Lunar Months Differ?

The 24 solar terms (二十四节气, èrshísì jiéqì) mark positions of the Sun across the seasonal year. A lunar month (农历月, nónglì yuè) starts on the civil date of a new moon and lasts 29 or 30 days. The Chinese calendar uses both, so a calendar can print a named solar term beside a numbered lunar day. ^[1][2][3]

Read a solar term: Qingming follows the Sun’s longitude, so it falls in early April. ^[2][4]
Read a lunar festival: The Dragon Boat Festival (端午节, Duānwǔ Jié) follows day five of the fifth lunar month. ^[5]
How the cycles stay aligned: An occasional leap month helps keep numbered months in roughly the same seasons. ^[1][3]

A date can belong to both cycles at once. First identify which cycle defines the occasion.

Four illustrated notes comparing solar terms and lunar months

A Hong Kong calendar shows the new moon opening lunar month one on February 17, 2026. It lists Rain Water on February 18, the second day of that month. The two consecutive entries come from separate calculations. Only the new moon opens a new numbered month. ^[1][6]

What Sets a Term and What Starts a Month

The 24 solar terms divide the Sun’s apparent annual path into positions spaced 15 degrees apart. A term begins when the Sun reaches its assigned longitude. An almanac can show the time of that crossing and a printed calendar can mark its date. ^[2][6]

A new moon occurs when the Sun and Moon have the same apparent ecliptic longitude. The modern calendar counts the whole civil date containing the new moon as day one. The national standard defines the day from midnight in Beijing time. In February 2026 the Hong Kong Observatory listed the new moon at 8:01 p.m., but all of February 17 counted as day one. ^[1][3][6]

How to Tell Which Rule a Festival Uses

Qingming is a festival for visiting graves and remembering ancestors. It also names the solar term at 15 degrees. The Hong Kong Observatory’s calendar gives April 5 in 2027, even though the lunar day assigned to Qingming changes from one year to another. ^[2][4][7]

The Dragon Boat Festival falls on lunar month five, day five. The 2027 table begins month five on June 5, so the festival falls on June 9. UNESCO’s description includes local variations in dragon boat races, commemorations and foods. For this festival, the lunar month row gives the date. ^[5][7]

Why the Two Cycles Need a Leap Month

Twelve new moon cycles add up to about 354 days, compared with about 365 days in a seasonal year. Without an extra month from time to time, the numbered months would shift progressively through the seasons. The winter solstice anchors month 11. If 13 lunar months start before the next month 11 begins, the first of those months without a major solar term is the leap month. ^[1][3]

The 2025 calendar shows the regular sixth month starting June 25 and a leap sixth month starting July 25. The repeated month number left the solar-term sequence intact. Beginning of Autumn occurred on August 7, inside the leap month, while End of Heat fell on August 23, the first day of month seven. This example shows how term dates and month labels fit into the same calendar table. ^[2][8]

FAQs About Solar Terms and Lunar Months

Are there two solar terms in every lunar month?

The 24 terms follow the Sun, and the months follow the new moons. Their boundaries can fall on different days. The 2025 leap sixth month contained Beginning of Autumn but no major solar term. ^[2][3][8]