The Twenty-Four Divisions of the Year

The twenty-four solar terms divide the Chinese solar year into equal fifteen-degree arcs of the Sun's path along the ecliptic, marking the seasons for agriculture. Their names describe what the period is like (Rain Water, Insects Awaken, Grain Rain, Great Heat, Frost Descends), and together they form a farming calendar of great practical use, since they follow the Sun and so stay in step with the seasons.

The solar terms run alongside the lunar months of the Chinese calendar, giving it its lunisolar character: the months follow the Moon, but the solar terms keep the year tied to the Sun and the agricultural cycle.