冬至
Dōng Zhì · Winter Solstice
Each year lands around 12/22 in the Gregorian calendar (the exact date shifts slightly year to year).
Three Hou — five days each
- Earthworms knot together
- Elk shed their antlers
- Underground springs begin to stir
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
Dong-Zhi (Winter Solstice). Shortest daylight, Yin at peak. After this day Yin retreats and the first Yang is born — even as the cold continues to deepen. The hidden return.
Folklore & farming
'Dong-Zhi is as great as New Year' — historically the most important winter rite. North: dumplings (pinching frozen ears). South: tang-yuan (round dumplings for reunion).
What it means in a BaZi chart
Yin at zenith — but the 'first yang' is already stirring. Like Xia-Zhi, masters watch Dong-Zhi as a critical luck-cycle inflection.
Guidance, not prophecy. For reflection, not decision.