Major Snow (Daxue) 大雪
The solar term
Colder still, with heavier snow; in the north the snow now lies on the ground. The saying “timely snow promises a good harvest” is about the snow of this season.
| Year | Major Snow |
|---|---|
| 2026 | December 7 |
| 2027 | December 7 |
| 2028 | December 6 |
| 2029 | December 7 |
| 2030 | December 7 |
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 2026:
The cold-crying bird falls silent 鶡鴠不鳴from December 7
The cold-crying bird, in fact a flying squirrel, falls silent in the freezing cold.
Tigers begin to mate 虎始交from December 12
Tigers begin to mate. Yin has reached its peak and yang is beginning to stir, and the tiger answers it.
Iris shoots appear 荔挺出from December 17
Iris (Chinese ma lin) sends up new shoots.
Hexagrams
In the table of the Tang monk Yixing’s Dayan calendar (recorded in the New Book of Tang), the three pentads of Major Snow belong to three hexagrams:
- first pentad64 Weiji (Before Completion)Marquis
- second pentad39 Jian (Obstruction)Grandee
- third pentad27 Yi (Nourishment)Minister
Separately, the twenty-four lines of Kan, Zhen, Li and Dui govern the twenty-four solar terms in turn; Major Snow belongs to Dui, six at the top.
The hexagram calendar marks the season. It says nothing about fortune and has no bearing on a hexagram you cast. See sources and method.