The traditional
chinese calendar
The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Agricultural Calendar 曆; 农历; ''Nónglì''; 'farming calendar' Former Calendar 曆; 旧历; ''Jiùlì'' Traditional Calendar 曆; 老历; ''Lǎolì'', is a lunisolar calendar ...
divides a year into 24
solar term
A solar term is any of twenty-four periods in traditional 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 used by lunisolar ...
s.
''Yǔshuǐ'' / 雨水, ''Usui'', ''Usu'', or ''Vũ thủy'' (in vietnamese lenguage), literally meaning ''rain water'', is the 2nd one of them.
It 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 horizo ...
of 330° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 345°.
It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 330°.
In
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 dif ...
it usually begins around 18 February (19 February of / in east Asia time) and ends around 5 March.
Pentads
Each solar term can be divided into three
pentads (候), first (初候), second (次候) and last (末候) ones.
In Yushui each pentad includes :
; in China,
* first pentad / 獺祭魚 : 'otters make offerings of fish'. As fish begin to swim upstream, they are hunted by otters, which are believed to offer the fish to heaven ;
* second pentad / 鴻雁來 : 'the wild geese arrive'. Wild geese begin to make their northward migration, following the onset of spring ;
* last pentad / 草木萌動 : 'trees and grass put forth shoots' ;
; in Japan,
* first pentad / 土脉潤起 ;
* second pentad / 霞始靆 ;
* last pentad / 草木萠動.
Date and time
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yushui (Solar Term)
02
Spring (season)