Chunfen 春分, Spring Equinox: the balance point of spring

Chunfen (春分, Chunbun in Korean), the Spring Equinox, is the fourth solar term. The sun crosses the celestial equator at solar longitude 0, day and night become roughly equal, and spring reaches its midpoint.

Dates and position

In 2026 the equinox came late in the evening, on 20 March at 23:46 Korea time. In 2027 it arrives on 21 March at 05:25, so again the date flips because the moment sits close to midnight. Chunfen is a qi (middle) term: the Rabbit month that began at Jingzhe continues, with the month pillar 辛卯 in 2026 and 癸卯 in 2027.

Chunfen is also where astronomy puts its zero. Solar longitude is counted from this point, so Chunfen is 0 degrees, Qingming 15, Guyu 30, and so on around to Lichun at 315. The East Asian calendar, however, starts its year at Lichun. The two systems simply choose different starting lines on the same circle.

Spring Equinox at a glance: 2026 and 2027
Item	2026	2027
Moment (KST)	2026-03-20 23:46	2027-03-21 05:25
Sun longitude	0°	0°
Kind	qi (中氣) - middle of a month	qi (中氣) - middle of a month
Year pillar in force	丙午	丁未
Month pillar in force	辛卯	癸卯
Time since Awakening of Insects 驚蟄	15 d 0 h 47 min	15 d 0 h 46 min
Time to Clear and Bright 清明	15 d 3 h 54 min	15 d 3 h 52 min
Shift from 2026 to 2027	-	365 d 5 h 39 min

What the name means

分 means "to divide". Chunfen divides spring in two, and it divides the day into nearly equal halves of light and dark. The tradition reads it as the moment when yin and yang stand level before yang pulls ahead for the rest of the half-year. That picture of balance is why many seasonal writings use Chunfen as a reminder to keep things even: sleep, meals, work and rest.

What changes in nature

Around the equinox Korea's forsythia and azaleas start opening from the south, and cherry blossoms follow on warm years. It is also the season of kkotsaem chuwi, "flower-envy cold", a sharp cold snap that seems jealous of the blossoms. Winds are strong and changeable. The almanac's pentads are about sky and sound: swallows return, thunder begins to speak, and lightning first appears.

玄鳥至 - the swallows arrive
雷乃發聲 - thunder raises its voice
始電 - lightning first flashes

Seasonal foods

Chives (buchu) cut in early spring are tender and fragrant, and a thin buchu-jeon, chive pancake, is an easy dish for a windy evening. Webfoot octopus (jukkumi) is at its best along the west coast in this season and is often stir-fried or blanched with spring onions. The idea behind a balanced equinox table is simple: a little of each colour - green greens, red peppers, yellow grain, white radish, dark seaweed - rather than a lot of any one thing.

Gentle habits: keeping an even rhythm

Because day and night are even, Chunfen is a good point to reset a routine that drifted over winter: a regular time to wake, a regular time for meals, and an earlier night rather than a late one. With cold snaps and strong winds still possible, a light jacket on hand is practical. Deep, slow breathing outdoors on a mild afternoon fits the balanced mood of the term.

Korean customs and sayings

An old saying warns that "the winds of the second month crack the kimchi jars", meaning that the lunar second month, when Chunfen falls, is famous for gusty, surprising cold. Farmers traditionally used the equinox period to plough fields and repair ridges between paddies before the busy planting season.

A classical line for the season

春眠不覺曉，處處聞啼鳥。

Sleeping in spring, I did not notice the dawn; everywhere I hear birds singing.

Meng Haoran, "Spring Dawn (春曉)"

Questions

Is day exactly equal to night at Chunfen?

Nearly. The equinox is defined by the sun crossing the equator at longitude 0. Because sunrise and sunset are counted at the top edge of the sun and the atmosphere bends light, the day is actually a few minutes longer than the night.

Does a new month begin at the equinox?

No. Chunfen is a middle term, so the Rabbit month (辛卯 in 2026) simply continues until Qingming.

How far is it from Jingzhe and to Qingming?

In 2026, 15 days 0 hours 47 minutes after Jingzhe, and 15 days 3 hours 54 minutes before Qingming.

Why 0 degrees if the calendar starts at Lichun?

Astronomy measures solar longitude from the spring equinox; the East Asian calendar counts its year from Lichun at 315 degrees. Both describe the same circle.

Recipes for this season

Abalone Rice Porridge (Jeonbokjuk) and the Water ElementKorean abalone porridge in 40 minutes: 2 abalone, 1 cup of rice, 6 cups of water. Why the tradition reads it as an even, all-season Water dish.Broccoli and Tofu Salad: a 15-Minute Wood and Water SideA 15-minute Korean side of blanched broccoli and mashed tofu, and how the five-element tradition reads its green Wood and soft Water.Garlic Chive Pancake (Buchujeon): a Spring Wood DishCrisp garlic chive pancake in 20 minutes with 1 cup of pancake mix and 1 egg. A warm Wood dish the tradition pairs with spring and summer.Braised Tofu with Kelp: a Water and Earth Side DishTofu braised in kelp broth and soy sauce in 20 minutes. An even, year-round side dish the tradition reads as Water and Earth together.Beef Seaweed Soup (Miyeokguk) and Its ElementsKorean beef and seaweed soup in 35 minutes: 15 g dried seaweed, 150 g beef, 6 cups water. A warm Water and Earth soup for autumn, winter and spring.Spinach Doenjang Soup: Green Wood in a 15-Minute BowlSpinach and tofu soybean-paste soup in 15 minutes with 4 cups of anchovy broth. A Wood and Earth soup for spring, autumn and winter.