End of Heat (Chushu) 處暑
The solar term
The Chinese name means the heat comes to a stop here. Mornings and evenings turn cool, and clear, crisp days become more common.
| Year | End of Heat |
|---|---|
| 2026 | August 23 |
| 2027 | August 23 |
| 2028 | August 22 |
| 2029 | August 23 |
| 2030 | August 23 |
Dates are for China time (UTC+8); in other time zones the term may fall on a different day.
The three pentads
Each solar term lasts about fifteen days and is divided into three pentads of five days, each named after a sign in nature. In 2027:
Hawks lay out their prey 鷹乃祭鳥from August 23
Hawks catch birds in plenty and lay them out before eating, as if making an offering first.
Heaven and earth grow austere 天地始肅from August 28
A severe, withering air settles over heaven and earth, and the plants begin to decline.
Grain ripens 禾乃登from September 2
The grain crops begin to ripen.
Hexagrams
In the table of the Tang monk Yixing’s Dayan calendar (recorded in the New Book of Tang), the three pentads of End of Heat belong to three hexagrams:
- first pentad41 Sun (Decrease)Duke
- second pentad12 Pi (Standstill)Sovereign
- third pentad57 Xun (The Gentle Wind)Marquis
The second, Pi (Standstill), is one of the twelve sovereign hexagrams (十二辟卦), which trace the waxing and waning of yin and yang through the year. It stands for the seventh month of the traditional calendar: three yin below and three yang above, heaven and earth apart.
Separately, the twenty-four lines of Kan, Zhen, Li and Dui govern the twenty-four solar terms in turn; End of Heat belongs to Li, six in the fifth place.
The hexagram calendar marks the season. It says nothing about fortune and has no bearing on a hexagram you cast. See sources and method.