Lichun

Lichun
Woodcut depicting Risshun (Suzuki Harunobu, c. 1768)
Chinese name
Chinese立春
Literal meaningstart of spring
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinlì chūn
Bopomofoㄌㄧˋ ㄔㄨㄣ
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationlaahp chēun
Jyutpinglaap6 ceon1
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetlập xuân
Chữ Hán立春
North Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl립춘
Hancha立春
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationRipchun
South Korean name
Hangul입춘
Hanja立春
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationIpchun
Japanese name
Kanji立春
Hiraganaりっしゅん
Katakanaリッシュン
Transcriptions
Romanizationrisshun
Solar term
Term Longitude Dates
Lichun 315° 4–5 February
Yushui 330° 18–19 February
Jingzhe 345° 5–6 March
Chunfen 20–21 March
Qingming 15° 4–5 April
Guyu 30° 20–21 April
Lixia 45° 5–6 May
Xiaoman 60° 21–22 May
Mangzhong 75° 5–6 June
Xiazhi 90° 21–22 June
Xiaoshu 105° 7–8 July
Dashu 120° 22–23 July
Liqiu 135° 7–8 August
Chushu 150° 23–24 August
Bailu 165° 7–8 September
Qiufen 180° 23–24 September
Hanlu 195° 8–9 October
Shuangjiang 210° 23–24 October
Lidong 225° 7–8 November
Xiaoxue 240° 22–23 November
Daxue 255° 7–8 December
Dongzhi 270° 21–22 December
Xiaohan 285° 5–6 January
Dahan 300° 20–21 January

The traditional Chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. The first one is known as lichun in Chinese, risshun in Japanese, ipchun in Korean, and lập xuân in Vietnamese. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 315° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 330°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 315°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around February 4 and ends around February 18 (February 19 East Asia time). It is also the beginning of a sexagenary cycle.

Lichun signifies the beginning of spring in East Asian cultures.[1]

  1. ^ "Asian Cultures - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved February 4, 2024.