Chunfen
| Longi- tude | Term | Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | ||
| 315° | Lichun | 4–5 February |
| 330° | Yushui | 18–19 February |
| 345° | Jingzhe | 5–6 March |
| 0° | Chunfen | 20–21 March |
| 15° | Qingming | 4–5 April |
| 30° | Guyu | 20–21 April |
| Summer | ||
| 45° | Lixia | 5–6 May |
| 60° | Xiaoman | 21–22 May |
| 75° | Mangzhong | 5–6 June |
| 90° | Xiazhi | 21–22 June |
| 105° | Xiaoshu | 7–8 July |
| 120° | Dashu | 22–23 July |
| Autumn | ||
| 135° | Liqiu | 7–8 August |
| 150° | Chushu | 23–24 August |
| 165° | Bailu | 7–8 September |
| 180° | Qiufen | 23–24 September |
| 195° | Hanlu | 8–9 October |
| 210° | Shuangjiang | 23–24 October |
| Winter | ||
| 225° | Lidong | 7–8 November |
| 240° | Xiaoxue | 22–23 November |
| 255° | Daxue | 7–8 December |
| 270° | Dongzhi | 21–22 December |
| 285° | Xiaohan | 5–6 January |
| 300° | Dahan | 20–21 January |
The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms (節氣). Chūnfēn (pīnyīn) or Shunbun (rōmaji) (Chinese and Japanese: 春分; Korean: 춘분; Vietnamese: Xuân phân; literally: "vernal equinox") is the 4th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 0° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 15°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 0°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around 20 March and ends around 4 April (5 April East Asia time).
Pentads
| year | begin | end |
|---|---|---|
| 辛巳 | 2001-03-20 13:30 | 2001-04-04 17:24 |
| 壬午 | 2002-03-20 19:16 | 2002-04-04 23:18 |
| 癸未 | 2003-03-21 00:59 | 2003-04-05 04:52 |
| 甲申 | 2004-03-20 06:48 | 2004-04-04 10:43 |
| 乙酉 | 2005-03-20 12:33 | 2005-04-04 16:34 |
| 丙戌 | 2006-03-20 18:25 | 2006-04-04 22:15 |
| 丁亥 | 2007-03-21 00:07 | 2007-04-05 04:04 |
| 戊子 | 2008-03-20 05:48 | 2008-04-04 09:45 |
| 己丑 | 2009-03-20 11:43 | 2009-04-04 15:33 |
| 庚寅 | 2010-03-20 17:32 | 2010-04-04 21:30 |
| 辛卯 | 2011-03-20 23:20 | 2011-04-05 03:11 |
| 壬辰 | 2012-03-20 05:14 | 2012-04-04 09:05 |
| 癸巳 | 2013-03-20 11:01 | 2013-04-04 15:02 |
| 甲午 | 2014-03-20 16:57 | 2014-04-04 20:46 |
Each solar term can be divided into 3 pentads (候). They are: first pentad (初候), second pentad (次候) and last pentad (末候). Pentads in Chunfen include:
- China
- First pentad: 玄鳥至, 'The dark birds arrive'. 'Dark bird' in this case refers to swallows, which are also making their northward migration.
- Second pentad: 雷乃發聲, 'Thunder sounds', referring to the onset of spring thunderstorms.
- Last pentad: 始電, 'Lightning begins'. This refers to thunderstorms as well, but also to the gradual lengthening of daytime, and the prevalence of sunlight.
- Japan
- First pentad: 雀始巣
- Second pentad: 桜始開
- Last pentad: 雷乃発声
| Preceded by Jingzhe (驚蟄) |
Solar term (節氣) | Succeeded by Qingming (清明) |