大雪
Dà Xuě · Major Snow
Each year lands around 12/7 in the Gregorian calendar (the exact date shifts slightly year to year).
Three Hou — five days each
- The cold-crying bird falls silent
- Tigers begin to mate
- Lychee-bamboo shoots emerge
The 'three hou' (三候) is the traditional five-day-each observation pattern within a single solar term — fifteen days in all.
What this term marks
Da-Xue (Major Snow). Snow is heavy, cold is deep. All things draw inward; this is the season for storing essence and resting strength.
Folklore & farming
'Winter-cured to face the cold' — la-rou (cured pork) and la-chang (sausages) are at their best after Da-Xue. Scholarly tradition: observing snow as poetic subject.
What it means in a BaZi chart
Da-Xue opens the Zi (Rat) month — Water at peak. Water-heavy charts need Wood (to drain) or Earth (to dam). Water-light charts find unusual strength in Zi.
Guidance, not prophecy. For reflection, not decision.