Jingzhe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Solar term

Longi- tude	Term	Calendar
Spring
315°	Lichun	Feb.4-5
330°	Yushui	Feb.4-19
345°	Jingzhe	Mar. 5-6
0°	Chunfen	Mar.20-21
15°	Qingming	Apr.4-5
30°	Guyu	Apr.20-21
Summer
45°	Lixia	May 5-6
60°	Xiaoman	May 21-22
75°	Mangzhong	Jun.5-6
90°	Xiazhi	Jun.5-22
105°	Xiaoshu	Jul.7-8
120°	Dashu	Jul.22-23
Autumn
135°	Liqiu	Aug.7-8
150°	Chushu	Aug.23-24
165°	Bailu	Sep.7-8
180°	Qiufen	Sep.7-24
195°	Hanlu	Oct.8-9
210°	Shuangjiang	Oct.23-24
Winter
225°	Lidong	Nov.7-8
240°	Xiaoxue	Nov.22-23
255°	Daxue	Dec.7-8
270°	Dongzhi	Dec.21-22
285°	Xiaohan	Jan.5-6
300°	Dahan	Jan.20-21

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms (節氣). Jīngzhé (pīnyīn) or Keichitsu (rōmaji) (Traditional Chinese: 驚蟄; Simplified Chinese: 惊蛰; Japanese: 啓蟄; Korean: 경칩; Vietnamese: Kinh trập; literally: "awakening of insects") is the 3^rd solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 345° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 360°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 345°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around March 5 and ends around March 20.

The word 驚蟄 has the meaning of awakening of hibernated insects. 驚 is startling, and 蟄 is hibernated (insects). The traditional Chinese farming culture said that during Jingzhe, thunderstorms will wake up the hibernated insects, which also means the weather is getting warm.

[edit] Pentads

Each solar term can be divided into 3 pentads (候). They are first pentad (初候), second pentad (次候) and last pentad (末候). Pentads in Jingzhe including:

China

• First pentad: 桃始華
• Second pentad: 倉庚鳴
• Last pentad: 鷹化為鳩

Japan

• First pentad: 蟄虫啓戸
• Second pentad: 桃始笑
• Last pentad: 菜虫化蝶