Solar term 5 of 24 · Fire · summer
Grain Buds 小满
Full, but not yet full. The most useful word in the year.
Xiǎomǎn · begins 21 May 2026 · approximately fifteen days
The grain is plump and still green. 小满 means "small fullness" — a deliberate reminder that the year has a stage between enough and too much. It is the only solar term named for restraint.
The three micro-seasons
Every term divides into three pentads of about five days.
- Sow thistle flowers
- Weeds wither
- Wheat ripens
What to do in these fifteen days
- Finish one thing rather than improving three things.
- Leave a margin in the calendar this week. One empty afternoon, protected.
- Notice the first genuinely hot day and do less on it, on purpose.
On the table
Bitter vegetables — endive, dandelion, bitter melon · Barley and Job's tears, cooled
One question
What is already full enough in your life that you keep trying to add to?
Seasonal and cultural information only. Not medical advice, and no claim is made about treating any condition. See method & limits.