立冬
Lì Dōng · Start of Winter
Each year lands around 11/7 in the Gregorian calendar (the exact date shifts slightly year to year).
Three Hou — five days each
- Waters begin to ice over
- Earth begins to freeze
- Pheasants enter the sea and become clams
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
Li-Dong (Start of Winter). Winter begins. Folk: 'Tonify at Li-Dong, feed the empty mouth' — the start of winter's nourishing-food customs.
Folklore & farming
Northern saying: 'Don't pick up the dumpling bowl on Li-Dong, and no one cares if your ears freeze off.' Dumplings are shaped like ears — eating them protects yours.
What it means in a BaZi chart
Li-Dong opens the Hai (Pig) month — Water takes command. Water-deficient charts find their footing; Fire-and-scorched-Earth charts find Hai's water dissolving the dryness.
Guidance, not prophecy. For reflection, not decision.