Solar term 4 of 24 · Fire · summer
Start of Summer 立夏
Summer opens. The body starts spending instead of storing.
Lìxià · begins 5 May 2026 · approximately fifteen days
Fire season begins. Days are long, energy is outward, and the risk shifts from inertia to overreach. The classical advice is unglamorous: stay cool, eat lighter, sleep at midday if you can, and do not confuse a long day with a long capacity.
The three micro-seasons
Every term divides into three pentads of about five days.
- Frogs sing
- Earthworms surface
- Bitter melon ripens
What to do in these fifteen days
- Shift one demanding task to the morning. Afternoon heat is not a productivity tool.
- Take a ten-minute rest after lunch, eyes closed, no phone. Not sleep — just stillness.
- Drink before you are thirsty. Fire season runs on water.
On the table
Cucumber, bitter greens · Light broths rather than heavy roasts
One question
Where are you spending energy this summer that you have not chosen to spend?
Seasonal and cultural information only. Not medical advice, and no claim is made about treating any condition. See method & limits.