Fifth solar term of traditional Chinese lunisolar calendars
Qīngmíng, Seimei, Cheongmyeong or Thanh minh, is the name of the 5th solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar,[1] which divides a year into 24 solar terms (t. 節氣/s. 节气).[2] In space partitioning, Qingming begins when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 15° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 30°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 15°, usually on April 5.[3]
Compared to the space partitioning theory, in the time division theory Qingming falls around April 7 or approximately 106.5 days after winter equinox. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around 4 or 5 April and ends around 20 April.
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 Qingming include:
- China
- First pentad: 桐始華/桐始华, 'The paulownia begins to bloom'.
- Second pentad: 田鼠化為鴽/田鼠化为鴽, 'Voles(you) transform into quails'.
- Last pentad: 虹始見/虹始见, 'Rainbows begin to appear'.
- Japan
- First pentad: 玄鳥至 (tsubame itaru), 'The swallow flies back from the south'.
- Second pentad: 鴻雁北 (kōgan kitae kaeru), 'The goose migrates to the north'.
- Last pentad: 虹始見 (niji hajimete arawaru), 'Rainbows begin to appear in the sky after shower'.
Date and time
References
- ^ Zhang, Peiyu; Hunag, Hongfeng( (1994). "The Twenty-four Solar Terms of the Chinese Calendar and the Calculation for Them". Purple Mountain Observatory.
- ^ "24 Sekki". Glossary. National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ Matsukawa, Mitsuharu. "24 Sekkis, or Twenty-Four Japanese Small Seasons". Nagoya University. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
See also
