立夏
Lì Xià · Start of Summer
Each year lands around 5/6 in the Gregorian calendar (the exact date shifts slightly year to year).
Three Hou — five days each
- Mole-crickets sing
- Earthworms emerge
- Wild cucumbers sprout
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-Xia (Start of Summer). Heat begins. 'When the handle of the Dipper points southeast, it is Li-Xia.' Growth becomes lush; the climate turns warm.
Folklore & farming
Custom 'eat eggs on Li-Xia' — salt-water boiled eggs, said to fortify against summer-fatigue (苦夏). In Jiangnan, the 'weighing-day' custom — record one's weight to track through the hot months.
What it means in a BaZi chart
Li-Xia opens the Si (Snake) month — Fire first rises. Fire-deficient charts gain strength; Fire-heavy charts should pace themselves — the three summer months will only intensify.
Guidance, not prophecy. For reflection, not decision.