Solar Terms for the month of Gui Chou / Water Ox in the year of Ren Yin / Water Tiger

Happy New Year 2023 to all readers of this blog. 

While New Year's Day has been celebrated at the stroke of midnight on December 31st 2022, the Lunar New Year celebrated by Chinese people all around the world is yet to come. 

We are in the final month - Lunar Month 12th, month of Gui Chou / Water Ox in the Chinese Luni-Solar calendar. Traditional Chinese Lunar New Year will be celebrated on 22 January 2023, while Spring Begins / Li Chun starts on 4 February 2023. 

Solar Terms for the month of Ren Zi / (Yang) Water Rat / November in the year of Ren Yin / (Yang) Water Tiger 2022.

7th of December, Wednesday is the changeover day, from Hai / Pig month to the month of Zi / Rat. In the Chinese luni-solar calendar, there are 2 months to go before the next year of Gui Mao / (Yin) Water Rat starts. In the international calendar, it is the last month for the year 2022. The social mood of people is focussed on the festive year end period celebrating Christmas Day and New Years Day. 

In 2022 Singapore went from COVID-related pandemic lockdown restrictions to the country fully opening up. Quite a change in circumstances. Singapore citizens are free to travel abroad again, depending on their destination countries' restriction. Air fares for the Christmas festive period in late December and for the Chinese Lunar New Year period in January are already at their highs. 

An important date in the Chinese festive calendar is Winter Solstice or Dōng Zhì that falls on 22 December 2022. Besides being the mid-month Solar Term marker, it also marks a Yin/Yang transition, as Yin reaches its maximum, Yang is born. 

Solar Terms for the month of Xin Hai / Metal Pig (November ) in the year of Ren Yin / Water Tiger (2022)

Xin Hai month starts: 7th of November, 2022 from 18:45 hours

Mid Point of the month: 22nd of November, 2022 from 16:20 hours

Elements of the Metal Pig month: Metal, Water, Wood

Elements of the Water Tiger year: Water, Wood, Earth, Fire

Solar Terms for the month of Geng Xu Metal Dog (October) in the year of Ren Yin Water Tiger (2022).

When looking at the 24 Solar Terms of the Chinese calendar, it will be helpful if you distinguish between the Five Elements Qi of the Solar Terms in the calendar, and the Qi of the Five Elements of actual physical nature in real life. It is only at the geographical location around the Northern latitude marker of the Tropic of Cancer that we see a close sychronicity between the calendar and the weather. 

Elsewhere on the earth globe, like at the Equator where Singapore is located, we only experience a tropical weather system with just 2 types of seasons - "Hot" and "Hot and Wet", locally influenced by tropical monsoons. In contrast, the temperate countries experience the 4 seasons. 

The Five Elements Theory is applied to the Chinese calendar system and also to nature, and it is important to not mix up the two and infer that both have to, or will be the same. 

Metal Dog month starts: 8th of October, 2022 from 15:22 hours

Mid Point of the month: 23rd of October, 2022 from 18:35 hours

Elements of the Metal Dog month: Metal, Earth, Fire

Elements of the Water Tiger year: Water, Wood, Earth, Fire

Solar Terms for the month of Ji You Earth Rooster in the year of Water Tiger Ren Yin 2022

The second Autumn month in the Chinese luni-solar calendar starts of 7th of September at 23:32 hours. It is the month of Ji You Earth Rooster. The months rotate on a Yin - Yang - Yin - Yang basis, and this month is a Yin month, with the elements of Earth and Metal only. 

Autumn Equinox will occur on 23rd of September. 

The Chinese Festival for this month is the Mid Autumn Festival that falls on 10th of September. It is also known as the Chinese Lantern Festival and the Mooncake Festival, where as their names imply, there will be lanterns and Chinese mooncakes. 

 

Solar Terms for the month of Wu Shen / Earth Monkey (August) in the year of Ren Yin / Water Tiger 2022

The calendar "Autumn" season started on the 7th of August, 2022 at 20:28 hours. The solar term to mark the beginning of the month is "Autumn Begins" or Li Qiu. 

In this particular month of the Chinese Luni-solar calendar, there are clashes of elements on both the Tian Gan (Heavenly Stems) and Di Zi (Earthly Branches) levels, between the month and the year:

Year Heavenly Stem / Tian Gan : Water

Month Heavenly Stem / Tian Gan : Earth

Water X Earth (clashing relationship)

Year Earthly Branch / Di Zi : Tiger / Yin

Month Earthly Branch / Di Zi : Monkey / Shen

Tiger x Monkey (clashing relationship)

Solar Terms for the month of July 2022, month of Ding Wei Fire Goat in the year of Ren Yin Water Tiger

Note: Apologies for the late posting of this month's Solar Terms. I left for New Zealand in June with a last minute urgent travel for personal matters. Was away for 6 weeks.

Solar Terms for July 2022

Solar Terms for the month of June 2022 - Fire Horse in the year of Water Tiger 2022

Solar Terms for the month of May 2022 - Yi Shi / Wood Snake month in the year of Ren Yin / Water Tiger

This evening the solar term of Spring Begins Li Xia starts the summer months off in the Chinese luni-solar calendar. The sexagenary pair for the month is rotated to Yi Si or Yin Wood Snake. 

In Singapore, Vesak Day is celebrated on the 15th of May, and is also the 15th day full moon of the 4th lunar month. 

Solar Terms for the month of April 2022 - month of Jia Chen / Wood Dragon in the year of Ren Yin / Water Tiger

Solar Terms for the month of Gui Mao, Yin Water / Rabbit 癸卯 in the year of Ren Yin, Yang Water / Tiger 壬寅

We have already moved into the second month of the year of the Water Tiger, Ren Yin 2022 in the Chinese luni-solar calendar on 5 March 2022. 

The beginning of the month is marked by the Solar Term "Jin Ze" or translated as "Awaken Insects" that started at 22:43 hours on the 5th of March, 2022. 

In the Chinese luni-solar calendar, the 60 sexagenary pairs sequence alternate on a Yin - Yang - Yin - Yang basis, and so while February was a Yang Water Tiger month, March is a Yin Water Rabbit month. April will be Yang month again, and so on and so forth. 

The elements of the month are Water (癸 Gui / Yin Water) and Wood (卯 Mao / Rabbit).

You may be wondering why the name Jin Ze / Awaken Insects was used to name this second month. The ancient Chinese observed the natural phenomena in their surrounding environment. It was observed that insects were beginning to awaken from their winter hibernation, and hence gave this name to the second month. It is useful to note that it is not the other way around, as in, the observed phenomena of insects awakening from hibernation and hence it is the second Solar Term month. China covers a huge geographical area with varied weather systems according to the latitude. The months are calculated on the solar path of the earth's orbit around the sun (via Gnomon stick sun shadow recording) and then names assigned (and not via observed seasonal phenomena). To further explain, Gregorian calendar months are named after Roman gods, leaders, festivals, and numbers. It does not mean that if you don't have Roman gods, leaders and festivals then the calendar is not applicable.  

Spring Equinox falls on 20 March 2022. Due to the tilt of planet Earth's axis, the various geographical zones on the surface of the planet experience seasonal changes, caused by the changing amount of sun light and heat received. On the day of the Equinox, planet Earth gets approximately equal 12 hours of day and night. Also the sun rises exactly at cardinal due East direction (90 degrees) and sets at cardinal due West direction (270 degrees). 

In Ba Zi birth chart analysis, we use the Day Master element (the Tian Gan representing the day of your birth) and compare it with the year's and the month's elements to get what we call the 10 Spirits / 十神 / shi shen. From the 10 Spirits, we can decipher the signals and information from the universe according to one's Ba Zi chart for the annual and monthly dimensions. You can go deeper into the day and the si-chen (2 hour block) but usually the annual and 10-year pillars are cover sufficient grounds already in a Ba Zi birth chart appointment.  

Book your Ba Zi appointment today. 

 

Solar Terms for the Month of Ren Yin (February) in the Year of Ren Yin 2022

The year of Ren Yin, Yang Water/Tiger started on the 4th of February 2022 on the Solar part of the Chinese Luni-solar Calendar. The beginning day is marked by the Solar Term "Li Chun" or translated as "Spring Begins". In the analysis of Ba Zi charts, we use the year as marked by the first Solar Term of the year, "Li Chun". There is also a mid point for the month on 19th of February with a Solar Term "Yu Shui" or translated as "Rain Water".  

Five Tigers - 5 Elements Tigers 壬寅，甲寅，丙寅，戊寅，庚寅

Five Tigers - 5 Elements Tigers 壬寅，甲寅，丙寅，戊寅，庚寅

The popularity of the annual Zodiac sign predictions reaches its height during the Chinese Lunar New Year period. They are simplified readings to cater to the masses as the whole population is grouped into twelve Zodiac signs; which means that hundreds of millions share the same reading per sign. Too general to be precise, and so it is infotainment. In modern days, the annual Zodiac sign readings serve a largely commercial purpose as many capitalist business entities use the predictions as marketing and promotional events for news and publicity. Temples and religious organisations use them as annual fund raisers. Historically these readings were done by scholars working at temple fairs as a side income while waiting to take the Imperial Examinations in the ancient cities of China. 

The annual Zodiac signs predictions are simplified to twelve, which is already quite lengthy to write and talk about. To bridge the gap to the actual 60 Jia Zi pairs of the sexagenary cycle, it is good to learn about the additional Five Elements. 

Simply put, take 12 (Zodiac signs) multiply by 5 (elements) and you get 60 pairs.

For example, the year of 2022 is not just the year of the Tiger, but the year of the Water Tiger. The next year of the Tiger in 2034 will be the year of the Wood Tiger, in 2046 will be the year of the Fire Tiger, in 2058 the year of the Earth Tiger and in 2070 the year of the Metal Tiger. It loops back to Water Tiger again in 2082, and so on and so forth. 

In the illustration above designed by myself,  I use shapes and colours to help you see the elements:

Water drop shape = Water element

Tall rectangle shape = Wood element

Triangle shape = Fire element

Square shape = Earth element

Circle shape = Metal element

For colours, yellow, green and red are easy to apply to design but Water's black and Metal's white are replaced with blue and grey so that they don't disappear into white and black screen backgrounds on the computer and mobile devices, and on paper.  

Also, the 地支 / Di Zi for Tiger is 寅, pronounced yín, second sound intonation and not the same as 阴 yīn, first sound, light or rising intonation.  

And so, baby steps, learn a little more than just your annual Zodiac sign. The actual Ba Zi birth chart readings are based on the Five Elements Theory, and personalised to the day and hour of birth. So before you start lamenting about how the past year was bad for you because you have self read an annual horoscope booklet based only on your annual sign, please get yourself a Ba Zi birth reading. Sometimes it is just your own mind making the classic "cognitive bias" used by marketers. (Google search "marketing bias" or "cognitive bias" to read up about it).

Four Tigers - 18 February 2022

During the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities period, web sites, news agencies and social media are filled with articles on the luck of the 12 zodiac signs according to the year of birth. There is a ready readership/viewership keen to know what the lunar new year is like, and what it holds for them. 

The 12 signs of the zodiac in Chinese metaphysics studies are called Di Zi 地支. The 12 Chinese characters used are 子丑寅卯辰巳午未申酉戌亥, and assigned the 12 animal names 鼠牛虎兔龙蛇马羊猴鸡狗猪. They are then rotated in the above sequence on an annual basis. 

子丑寅卯辰巳午未申酉戌亥

Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai

鼠牛虎兔龙蛇马羊猴鸡狗猪

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig

In the Chinese luni-solar calendar, these 12 Di Zi's are also used to denote the 12 months, 365 days and the 12 si-chen (2 hour block) in a day. And so, on any given day and time, there are actually up to 4 Di Zi (zodiac animals) in the year, month, day and si-chen (2 hour). 

While the annual zodiac sign readings are based on the year only, a Ba Zi birth chart considers all "4 Pillars" of the year, month, day and si-chen, with the emphasis moved to the day. The Day Master translated term in English is from Chinese terms 本命，命主，日元，or 元神 , and is referring to the Tian Gan and not the Di Zi, like in the year zodiac readings. The methodology used in the analysis is based on the 5 Elements Theory.  

18 February 2022.

This date has caught the attention of many who practice Ba Zi birth chart analysis and Date Selections for important event. 

There are 4 "Tigers" as all 4 Di Zi's for year, month, day and si-chen are 寅 Yín. At the same time, all 4 Tian Gans are 壬，Rèn. 

In the illustration above I have also included the "10 Spirits" - that are derived by comparing the relationship between the Day Master and the other elements in the chart. The "10 Spirits" are heavily used in Ba Zi birth chart appointments to help clients see the influences and nuances of the Ba Zi birth chart. This is very different from the annual zodiac infotainment analysis that uses the Zodiac animal sign's nature to describe, for example Monkeys are mischevious, Tigers are ferocious, Dragons are majestic, Rabbits are gentle, etc etc. 

The Day Master sign is Ren or Yang Water and you have to apply Yang Water features to person born on this date according to their sex, Male or Female. In general, the wiser and more experienced Ba Zi Masters tend to avoid big sweeping statements; everything has a reference, and depends on the application to circumstances. Each Ba Zi birth chart reading has to be detailed and tailored to each different client. It is not a "one size fits all" type of infotainment reading. 

Have you got your Ba Zi birth chart yet? 

 

15 February 2022 Yuan Xiao Jie - 15th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year Spring Festival

From preparations for the Chinese Lunar New Year, to the final 15th day of the festival celebrations, at least 3 to 4 weeks of a Chinese person's calendar is dedicated to this festive event. Although the public holidays declared is only 2 days here in Singapore, there are many other customs and traditional practices that take place before and during this festival. It is an important event in the Chinese calendar. 

The meaning of the word 元宵 comes from 元 as in the first (month) and 宵(night). The timing of this event moves to the evening as it is the 15th day of the first lunar month, and that means it is a full moon night. And being practical and appropriate for the night time darkness, lanterns are used to light up the night. In English, this day is also called the Lantern Festival. One of the traditional games is finding answers to riddles attached to the many lanterns. 

This is our very own Chinese "Full Moon Party". 

It also marks the end of the festivities for the Lunar New Year. 

12 Sexagenary Pairs (Tian Gan and Di Zi) of the 12 months of the year of Ren Yin Water Tiger 2022

(one month of the year of Ren Yin goes into January 2023)

Besides assigning a pair of the 60 Sexagenary Pairs (Jia Zi) to the year, a pair is also assigned to every month of the solar part of the Chinese luni-solar calendar. 

For example, in the year of Ren Yin 2022, all 12 solar months are assigned a Tian Gan Di Zi 天干地支 pair, beginning with Ren Yin 壬寅 (coincidentally the same as for the year this year) for the month beginning with Li Chun (Spring Begins). The following month starting with the solar term Jing Ze (Awakening of Insects) is assigned Gui Mao 癸卯, and so forth, as illustrated in the graphics above drawn up by myself. 

The same 60 pairs of Tian Gan Di Zi are rotated also for the day and for the hour, resulting in 4 Pillars of Year, Month, Day and hour. This is why Ba Zi is also called 4 Pillars. 

As you can tell by now, in a Ba Zi chart, there are actually 4 possibilities for the 12 Di Zi (used for the annual zodiac signs). There is a possibility of up to 4 different zodiac signs appearing in the year, month, day and hour pillars. The annual zodiac signs luck articles that you can read around the Chinese Lunar New Year festive period is based on the concept of Tai Sui (the year) and the related stars. A Ba Zi chart reading is different in that all 4 pillars are included in the analysis, and the technique is heavily based on the 5 Elements Theory, with the reference point shifted to the Day Master element instead of the Year. 

If you like to book your Ba Zi birth chart reading now, it is priced at $150 per hour. It includes strengths and weakness analysis, versus the 10-year trigger influence pillar and the annual year pillar trigger influence. 

壬寅年二十四节气 24 Solar Terms of 2022, Year of Water Tiger / Ren Yin

(C) 2022 Chua Chee Hiang

Here is a chart graphic drawn up by me on the laptop that contains the 24 Solar Terms time and date for the year of Ren Yin Water Tiger 2022. 

You can see that the solar part of the Chinese luni-solar calendar has similar month timing to the Gregorian international calendar, but the start and end dates and times per month differ by 4 to 8 days. Also, note that the month changeover timings are not at 00:00 hours. 

The Chinese 24 Solar Terms were inscribed in 2016 (11.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Link: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/the-twenty-four-solar-terms-knowledge-in-china-of-time-and-practices-developed-through-observation-of-the-suns-annual-motion-00647

Li Chun 2022 - "Spring Begins" 立春 Solar Term for the Year of Ren Yin 壬寅

Did you know that the Chinese calendar system is made up of 2 parts; a lunar calendar and a solar calendar? It is called a luni-solar calendar. 

Many are familiar with the lunar calendar part of the Chinese luni-solar calendar that tracks the shape of the moon in the night sky, with special days for Chinese festivals and events on the 1st and 15th day of the lunar month. Traditionally the older generation of Chinese people celebrate their Chinese lunar birthdays.

The solar calendar part of the Chinese luni-solar calendar corresponds to the orbit of planet earth around the sun, and is systematically divided into 24 parts, called Solar Terms. The first of the Solar Terms is Spring Begins or Li Chun and it falls on 4 February 2022. Although the lunar new year of the Tiger had already started on the 1st of February, the start of the Water Tiger year in the solar calendar part of the luni-solar calender is actually on 4 February 2022. 

For the Ba Zi birth chart, we use the solar calendar part of the Chinese luni-solar calendar, with Spring Begins or Li Chun as the changeover for the year. 

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year 1 Feb 2022

Wish all readers a happy Chinese Lunar New Year 2022

龙腾虎跃

Dragon Soar Tiger Leap

五福临门

5 Good Fortunes arrive at your door

万事如意

May all go according to your wishes

虎年大吉

Big auspicious Tiger year

好运连连

Good luck non stop

2022 - Year of Ren Yin Water Tiger 壬寅

(1) How many "New Year's Day" are there in a year? 

There are 3 "New Year's Days":

(i) 1st of January, 2022 (International Gregorian Calendar)

(ii) 1st of February, 2022 - Lunar New Year (based on the orbit of moon around earth), and 

(iii) 4th of February, 2022 - Li Chun day or Spring Begins solar term, beginning of the solar calendar of the Chinese luni-solar calendar (based on the orbit of earth around the sun).

(Note) Although I use the word "orbit", the ancient Chinese mapped the path of the moon in its waxing and waning phases across the night sky, and likewise used the Gnomon stick's sun shadow to track the path of the sun across the sky. 

For all of the three first-days of the year, you can construct a Ba Zi chart for the beginning hour of the day and analyse them for the 5 elements interaction. It means that there will be 3 different Ba Zi charts with different meanings and interpretations according to different masters. Confusing isn't it? Some masters prefer to just use the sexagenary pair of Tian Gan and Di Zi for the year to get a general "feel" of the elements for the year. 

*add-edit (Dong Zhi/Winter Solstice on December 21st, 2021 was the start of Yang (Qi) and is also considered a new year of sorts by some)

(2) What are the elements of the Water (Black) Tiger year?

Using the 60 Jia Zi sexagenary pairs, the year of 2022 is rotated to the 39th pair of the 60 pairs cycle. (note the 60 pairs cycle are used on a rotation basis for the year, month, day and si-chen/2 hour pillars)   

壬

ren (yang water)

寅

yin (Tiger)

甲

jia (yang wood)

丙

bing (yang fire)

戊

wu (yang earth)

The 4 elements present in the year are

Water

Wood

Fire, and

Earth

(3) Why is it a Black Tiger? 

Each of the 5 elements are assigned an "official" colour, in ancient times, based on the availability of these colours in nature. 

Water - Black

Wood - Green

Fire - Red

Earth - Yellow

Metal - White (or Gold) 

As black is not considered an auspicious colour in Chinese customs, you will hardly hear any mention of  2022 as the year of the Black Tiger. Also, as gold is associated with money and wealth, every year's Zodiac is described auspiciously as "gold zodiac sign" year in Chinese, but that "gold" is more of a Chinese auspicious meaning word than referring to the actual element of the year.  

If you are asking about what auspicious colours are for the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities, you are better off following these Chinese traditions and customs:

(i) It is called the Spring Festival - so your dress up theme is flowers and nature. Bright flowery prints and embroidery to symbolise Spring, new beginnings, rejuvenation and growth.

(ii) The Chinese colour of celebration and happiness is red. That is why you see so much red being used in the Chinese design and decorations.

(iii) Gold represents money and wealth, and so a prosperous colour is considered auspicious.

(iv) Auspicious words - we like to wish everyone a good start for the year, so the Chinese word 福 is always used. "Fu" is one of those Chinese words that gets lost in translation in English to mean good fortune, lucky, auspicious, etc. Like the word "Qi", it encompasses a whole concept. 

(4) What is the year like for 2022?

The elements of the year are in harmony, in a productive cycle flow of water to wood to fire to earth, and (implied) earth to metal. On the surface the signs look good, and that is a welcome news for the current world situation. However (there is a however), the Tiger sign has its secret liaisons, friends and allies besides the usual harmonious connection to Horse, Dog and Pig zodiac signs. 

Beware of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" of 2022. There is still an element of surprise.

Each year's sexagenary pair will meets its direct clash by count of six months in a year, and 2022's Ren Yin has direct element clashes when the autumn months come from 7th of August onwards. In Ba Zi birth chart analysis, clashes and combines can be double edged swords, but when just analysing for the year in general, clashes are taken to mean "not good". Care and caution advised especially for the Autumn months starting from August 7th (Solar term Autumn Begins is on this day) onwards.

(5) How is my zodiac sign going to do in 2022?

This is always a very popular topic during Chinese Lunar New Year time, you can see people stopping to read 12 zodiac predictions printed on the Lunar New Year decorations at shopping malls. 

The thing is, what is given free is just very general advice based on data gathered from the Chinese Farmer's Almanac and ancient texts/formula. 

The best way to get accurate information, personalised to you is get a Ba Zi birth chart reading based on your date of birth and time. You can get to know the 10 year and annual triggers that are influencing you and your decision making. 

In the absence of a one-to-one consultation, when reading zodiac predictions for the year, just take them as light infotainment. They are written to be too general to be accurate, and are also too general to be wrong.

That being said, I do write such infotainment articles and this year, you can read it in print on the ANA inflight magazines if you read Japanese. Or, you can catch my tv interview on CNBC Asia. 

In general:

Smooth ride in a turbulent water year for the following 5 zodiac signs

Pig 

Ox 

Tiger 

Rabbit 

Goat:

7 Zodiac signs with a bumpy ride

Monkey (direct clash with the Tiger)

Rat 

Dragon 

Snake 

Rooster 

Horse 

Dog