Xiaohan 小寒 — Minor Cold
Overview
Xiaohan falls around 5 January. It opens the coldest stretch of the year, with Dahan to follow.
Meaning
The first of the two cold terms — the onset of the coldest part of the year.
Traditional Interpretation
Confusingly, the 'minor' cold term frequently records lower temperatures than the 'major' one in much of the country, a discrepancy the almanacs acknowledge rather than explain away.
Related Concepts
FAQ
What is xiaohan 小寒 — minor cold in the Chinese calendar?
The first of the two cold terms — the onset of the coldest part of the year. Xiaohan falls around 5 January. It opens the coldest stretch of the year, with Dahan to follow.
Is xiaohan 小寒 — minor cold a festival or a calendar date?
It is a solar term — a date fixed by the sun's position, not by the moon. The first of the two cold terms — the onset of the coldest part of the year. The Xiaohan/Dahan inversion is a well-known and openly admitted mismatch between the calendar's naming and the recorded weather, and it is a good test of whether a source is reporting or repeating.
How is xiaohan 小寒 — minor cold read in Chinese tradition?
Confusingly, the 'minor' cold term frequently records lower temperatures than the 'major' one in much of the country, a discrepancy the almanacs acknowledge rather than explain away. It is grouped under Water (水) in the five-element system.
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