Home › Notes › Solar terms › Cheongmyeong
Cheongmyeong (淸明)
— the original Son-eomneun-nal
Cheongmyeong: Monday, April 5, 9:17 a.m.
Hansik: Tuesday, April 6
Cheongmyeong is a jeol (節) — from this moment the Saju month changes to the Dragon month (Jinwol 辰月)
Cheongmyeong means “the sky turns clear.” The haze that hung over the winter lifts, and farming begins in earnest. In Saju, it's the jeol that opens the Dragon month, so it's the day the month actually changes.
In this article 6 topics
Why do Cheongmyeong and Hansik go together?
They're counted in different ways, so they either overlap or fall a day apart.
Dongji (the winter solstice) is also fixed on December 21–22 in the Gregorian calendar, so counting 105 days from it always lands in early April. That's why the two days come side by side or even fall on the same day. The saying “Die on Cheongmyeong or die on Hansik, it's all the same” comes from this — a one-day difference makes no real difference.
| Year | Cheongmyeong (entry time) | Hansik | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Apr 5 (Mon) 09:17 | Apr 6 (Tue) | One day apart |
| 2028 | Apr 4 (Tue) 15:03 | Apr 5 (Wed) | One day apart |
| 2029 | Apr 4 (Wed) 20:58 | Apr 5 (Thu) | One day apart |
| 2030 | Apr 5 (Fri) 02:41 | Apr 5 (Fri) | Same day |
What does “no Son” on Cheongmyeong and Hansik mean?
People believed that Son, the spirit said to govern the directions, rested on these two days — meaning that whatever you did, in whatever direction, nothing would go wrong. So jobs that couldn't be put off were saved up for these days.
It's a different custom from Son-eomneun-nal. The Son-eomneun-nal people usually talk about are days whose lunar date ends in 9 or 0, so they come around 5 times in a short lunar month and 6 times in a long one. How many fall in each Gregorian month depends on how the lunar months overlap. Cheongmyeong and Hansik are separate from that: days considered especially free of Son, once a year. The counting method itself is different.
Does the Saju month change at Cheongmyeong?
Yes, it does. Cheongmyeong is a jeol (節), so from that moment the month pillar moves to the Dragon month (辰月).
Same day, same morning, yet a single hour splits the Saju. That's why a manseryeok asks for your birth time. For how jeol and gi differ, see The 24 solar terms: a complete guide.
What kind of place is the Dragon month (辰月)?
Jin (辰) is Earth (土). It's a brief stopover before spring's Wood energy passes into summer's Fire energy, so it has the character of a change of seasons.
It's the last of the three spring months, seen as a place where moisture still lingers in the soil. It's the stretch where you've planted something and are waiting for it to grow, so when reading someone born in the Dragon month, Saju sometimes describes “a tone that sets things in motion first and takes time to harvest.” Of course, that's only two of the Eight Characters, so it depends on the rest.
Should you time your move to Cheongmyeong?
Not necessarily. The idea that there's no Son on Cheongmyeong and Hansik is a method that looks only at the date. It doesn't consider each person's own Saju.
Practically speaking, early April is the start of peak moving season, so booking a mover gets tight. Add Cheongmyeong and Hansik on top, and quotes for those days go up. I've laid out the order for choosing a date in How to choose a good day: a complete guide; in short, it goes like this.
- Lock in what can't change firstPin down the fixed dates first, like the final-payment day or the lease end date.
- Narrow it down to three or four candidate daysIf a Son-eomneun-nal or Cheongmyeong/Hansik falls among them, take it into account.
- Weigh it against the costDays that are said to be good are good for everyone else too, so they cost more. Often it's better to shift by a day and save.
If the date is already set and can't be changed, read When your moving date doesn't line up.
When are the good days in my own Saju?
Mutal Unnie offers date selection that looks not just at the calendar but also weighs your Eight Characters.
Get the app for iPhone & AndroidFAQ
When are Cheongmyeong and Hansik in 2027?
Cheongmyeong is on Monday, April 5 at 9:17 a.m., and Hansik is on Tuesday, April 6. Cheongmyeong is a solar term, so it has an exact time; Hansik is the 105th day after Dongji, so it's counted in whole days.
What does it mean that there's no Son on Cheongmyeong and Hansik?
It's a folk belief that Son, the spirit said to govern the directions, takes a rest on these two days. So people saved up moving, house repairs and grave upkeep for this time. It's a separate custom from Son-eomneun-nal, which is counted by the lunar calendar.
Does the Saju month change at Cheongmyeong?
Yes. Cheongmyeong is a jeol, so from that moment the month pillar moves to the Dragon month. In 2027, if you were born before 09:17 on April 5, you're in the Rabbit month; after it, the Dragon month.
Why does Hansik fall on about the same date every year?
It's counted as the 105th day after Dongji, and since Dongji is fixed on December 21–22 in the Gregorian calendar, Hansik rarely strays from April 5–6. Unlike the lunar holidays, it moves with the Gregorian calendar.