Solar term 10 of 24 · Metal · autumn
Start of Autumn 立秋
The first cool morning. Something in you notices before you do.
Lìqiū · begins 7 August 2026 · approximately fifteen days
Autumn opens on a day that often still feels like summer — the change is in the air and the angle of the light, not the temperature. Metal season begins: the traditional associations are clarity, boundaries, breath, and the specific melancholy of things ending well.
The three micro-seasons
Every term divides into three pentads of about five days.
- Cool winds arrive
- White dew falls
- Cicadas grow quiet
What to do in these fifteen days
- Sleep twenty minutes longer than you did in July. This is the season for banking rest.
- Do one thing that is purely about clarity: a cupboard, an inbox, a decision.
- Breathe through your nose outdoors for five minutes in the morning.
On the table
Pears · White sesame, rice, mild root vegetables
One question
What would "ending well" look like for the thing you are currently in the middle of?
Seasonal and cultural information only. Not medical advice, and no claim is made about treating any condition. See method & limits.