Beginning of Winter

The Beginning of Winter is the 19th of the Twenty-four Solar Terms. It is the first Solar Term in the winter season, which marks the beginning of this season. It is called the “four beginnings” along with the Beginning of Spring, the Beginning of Summer and Beginning of Autumn. This term suggests that leaves would fall and wither, and everything is about to lie dormant.

For this solar team, the Chinese character “立”, can be understood easily, which means “the beginning”. However, the second character “冬”, is not just about “winter”. Instead, it refers to “the end; the storage of everything”. In other words, after autumn, the corps have already been harvested, sunned and stored while animals are also getting ready for hibernation. Therefore, the Beginning of Winter means that the winter has arrived; everything has gone into storage; and one should be aware of the coldness.