Liqiu (立秋): Start of Autumn and the Turn to the 申 Month

Liqiu (立秋, Start of Autumn) is the jie term at sun longitude 135°. On paper autumn begins here and the month turns to 申, a Metal branch, even though in Korea the heat usually carries on for weeks.

A date that jumps a day

haru puts Liqiu at 20:43 KST on 7 August 2026 and at 02:27 KST on 8 August 2027. The shift is 365 days 5 hours 44 minutes, and because the 2026 moment is already late in the evening, those extra hours push it past midnight into the next date. This is a clear example of why solar-term dates wander between neighbouring days: the term is a moment in time, not a fixed square on the calendar.

What turns over at Liqiu

As a jie term, Liqiu changes the month pillar. The branch moves from 未 (Earth) to 申 (Metal), and in five-element terms the calendar steps from the damp Earth of late summer into the Metal of autumn. haru's own recipe logic follows the branch too: from the 申 month on, it switches its seasonal choice from summer to autumn.

The name

立 means to stand up or to establish, the same character used in Lichun, Lixia and Lidong. Each of the four 'standing' terms marks the formal start of a season halfway between a solstice and an equinox. The tradition reads Liqiu as the moment autumn's energy is set in place, even while summer's heat is still on the surface.

What nature is doing

Early August in Korea is often still fiercely hot, but the evenings begin to change: a slightly cooler wind after sunset, dew on the grass at dawn in the hills, and a new kind of insect song. The almanac's three pentads describe exactly that:

• 涼風至 - cool winds arrive
• 白露降 - white dew descends
• 寒蟬鳴 - the autumn cicada sings

Korean custom: malbok

The last of the three dog days, malbok, is counted from Liqiu: it is the first 庚 day after it. So even though autumn has 'started', many households mark one more summer meal of samgyetang or another restorative dish soon after Liqiu. People also speak of 늦더위, the lingering late heat that follows.

Seasonal food

Peaches, grapes, late watermelon and corn are at their best. In haru's word list, Metal is linked with white foods such as radish, pear, bellflower root, onion, lotus root and Job's tears. A lotus root side dish (lotus_root) or a soft pear with bellflower (pear_bellflower) are autumn-tagged dishes that still feel light in August.

Habits for the turn of the season

Yangsheng around Liqiu is about easing out of summer habits:

• Keep the summer rhythm of early starts, but begin going to bed a little earlier as the nights lengthen.
• Try slow, deep breathing in the late afternoon, the 申 hours, a habit the tradition links with Metal.
• Close windows on cooler nights rather than sleeping in a draught.
• Add some light strength exercise as the heat allows.

A line of poetry

Liu Yuxi (劉禹錫), Tang dynasty, 'Autumn Song' (秋詞), first poem: 「自古逢秋悲寂寥，我言秋日勝春朝。」 - 'Since ancient times, autumn has meant loneliness and sorrow; I say an autumn day is better than spring mornings.'

Questions

Why is Liqiu on 7 August in 2026 but 8 August in 2027?

The term moves about 5 hours 44 minutes a year. In 2026 it falls at 20:43, so the next year's moment lands after midnight, at 02:27 on 8 August.

Is it really autumn at Liqiu?

In the calendar, yes: the month turns to 申 and the season to autumn. The weather in Korea usually stays hot until around Chushu.

How is malbok linked to Liqiu?

Malbok is the first 庚 day after Liqiu, so its date depends on where Liqiu falls in the sixty-day cycle each year.

Recipes for this season

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Traditional Four Pillars (myeongni) and yin-yang five-element interpretation. Not a medical diagnosis or advice.