''Qīngmíng'', ''Seimei'', ''Cheongmyeong'' or ''Thanh minh'', is the name of the 5th solar term of the traditional Chinese

lunisolar calendar A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the ...

, which divides a year into 24

solar term A solar term is any of twenty-four periods in traditional Chinese calendar, Chinese lunisolar calendars that matches a particular astronomical event or signifies some natural phenomenon. The points are spaced 15° apart along the ecliptic and are ...

s ( 節氣/ 节气). In space partitioning, Qingming begins when the sun reaches the

celestial longitude Astronomical coordinate systems are organized arrangements for specifying positions of satellites, planets, stars, galaxies, and other celestial objects relative to physical reference points available to a situated observer (e.g. the true horiz ...

of 15° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 30°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 15°, usually on April 5. Compared to the space partitioning theory, in the time division theory Qingming falls around April 7 or approximately 106.5 days after winter equinox. In the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years di ...

, it usually begins around 4 or 5 April and ends around 20 April.

Pentads

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 Qingming include: ; China * First pentad: 桐始華/桐始华, 'The paulownia begins to bloom'. * Second pentad: 田鼠化為鴽/田鼠化为鴽, 'Voles(you) transform into quails'. * Last pentad: 虹始見/虹始见, 'Rainbows begin to appear'. ; Japan * First pentad: , 'The swallow flies back from the south'. * Second pentad: , 'The goose migrates to the north'. * Last pentad: , 'Rainbows begin to appear in the sky after shower'.

Pentads

Date and time

References

See also