Chinese New Year
First day of the first lunar month. A time for celebration, family and energetic cleansing of the home. It varies between January and February.
Rhythms of Time
The Lunar Calendar and its Cycles
Time is not a straight line; it is a dance of lights. The Chinese lunar calendar does not tell you when to act, but how to listen to the rhythm so you can move with greater awareness.
What is the Chinese Lunar Calendar?
Unlike the Western solar calendar, the traditional Chinese calendar follows both the phases of the Moon and solar cycles at the same time. It is a lunisolar calendar: each month begins with a new moon and lasts approximately 29.5 days.
This calendar does more than mark dates. It organizes life around renewal, harvest, rest and preparation. It is an invitation to honor your own inner cycles.
Chinese New Year and Li Chun
The Chinese New Year celebration marks the beginning of the first lunar month. However, in the classical tradition, the year's animal sign change is usually calculated from Li Chun (Start of Spring), a solar term that falls around February 4.
This explains why someone born in January may belong to the previous year's animal. In MING we use the Li Chun adjustment so your BaZi chart accurately reflects your energetic signature.
Li Chun
"Start of Spring." Around February 4. In classical BaZi, this is where the year's animal changes.
Lunar Phases and Energy
Each phase of the Moon has a distinct quality. They are not mandates, but rhythm suggestions. You can use them to plant intentions, review processes or let go of what you no longer need.
- New Moon: seed time. Ideal for new intentions, budding projects and silence.
- First Quarter: action and decision. What was planted calls for attention and effort.
- Full Moon: fullness and revelation. Light on what was hidden; a good time to acknowledge results.
- Last Quarter: release and cleanse. Scale back, close cycles, rest the mind.
The 24 Solar Terms (Jie Qi)
The solar year is divided into 24 terms of approximately 15 days each. Each one describes a change in nature and, symbolically, in our energy. Knowing them is syncing with the land we inhabit.
| Season | Solar Terms | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Li Chun, Yu Shui, Jing Zhe, Chun Fen, Qing Ming, Gu Yu | Awakening, germination, expansion |
| Summer | Li Xia, Xiao Man, Mang Zhong, Xia Zhi, Xiao Shu, Da Shu | Growth, action, peak light |
| Autumn | Li Qiu, Chu Shu, Bai Lu, Qiu Fen, Han Lu, Shuang Jiang | Harvesting, refining, letting go |
| Winter | Li Dong, Xiao Xue, Da Xue, Dong Zhi, Xiao Han, Da Han | Withdrawal, reserve, seed at rest |
Time as an Ally
The lunar calendar does not force you to wait for the perfect moment to act. It reminds you that every moment has a tone. Knowing it allows you to choose more clearly: is it time to sow, to harvest or to rest?
"You don't fight the seasons. You learn to read them. That way time stops being your enemy and becomes a companion on the road."
Sync your rhythm with MING
The MING app adjusts your BaZi chart with Li Chun and helps you read the personal cycles you are living right now. Your energetic calendar, in your pocket.
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