夏至
Xià Zhì · Summer Solstice
Each year lands around 6/21 in the Gregorian calendar (the exact date shifts slightly year to year).
Three Hou — five days each
- Deer shed their antlers
- Cicadas begin to sing
- Pinellia (half-summer herb) emerges
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
Xia-Zhi (Summer Solstice). Longest daylight, Yang at peak. After this day yang declines and yin begins to germinate, even as the heat continues to climb. The hidden turn.
Folklore & farming
Folk saying: 'Dumplings at winter solstice, noodles at summer solstice.' Long noodles for 'smooth round circulation'. Also the start of mei-yu (plum-rain) season.
What it means in a BaZi chart
Yang at its zenith — but the 'first yin' is already born. Reviewing masters often watch Xia-Zhi as a key inflection point in luck-cycle readings.
Guidance, not prophecy. For reflection, not decision.