Qingming 清明, Clear and Bright: graves, trees and spring air

Qingming (清明, Cheongmyeong in Korean), "Clear and Bright", is the fifth solar term. At solar longitude 15 degrees it opens the Dragon (辰) month, the air turns clear and warm, and in both China and Korea it is a time for tending family graves.

Dates and the month it opens

Qingming fell on 5 April 2026 at 03:40 Korea time and comes on 5 April 2027 at 09:17. Both years land on the same date, well away from midnight. As a jie term it opens the Dragon month: 壬辰 in the 丙午 year 2026 and 甲辰 in the 丁未 year 2027.

The branch 辰 is yang Earth, and its hidden stems are 乙 for 9 days, 癸 for 3 and 戊 for 18. The tradition reads this as the last month of spring holding a little leftover Wood and Water while Earth prepares the ground for summer. Each season ends with such an Earth month, a kind of hinge between one season and the next.

Clear and Bright at a glance: 2026 and 2027
Item	2026	2027
Moment (KST)	2026-04-05 03:40	2027-04-05 09:17
Sun longitude	15°	15°
Kind	jie (節) - opens a month	jie (節) - opens a month
Year pillar in force	丙午	丁未
Month pillar it opens	壬辰	甲辰
Hidden stems of 辰 (days)	乙 9d · 癸 3d · 戊 18d	乙 9d · 癸 3d · 戊 18d
Length of this month (to Start of Summer 立夏)	30 d 17 h 9 min	30 d 17 h 8 min
Time to Grain Rain 穀雨	15 d 6 h 59 min	15 d 7 h 1 min
Shift from 2026 to 2027	-	365 d 5 h 37 min

What the name means

清 means clear or pure, and 明 means bright. By early April the haze of the cold months has lifted, rain has washed the air, and colours look sharper. The name is a simple description of how the world looks: clean, lit and fresh. It is also the only one of the 24 terms that became a major festival in its own right in China, where Qingming is the main day for sweeping ancestors' tombs.

What changes in nature

In Korea cherry blossoms are usually in full bloom in the central regions around this time, and new leaves start to show on willows and zelkovas. Farmers begin to prepare seedbeds for rice. The almanac's pentads: paulownia trees begin to flower, field mice give way to quails, and the first rainbows appear after spring showers.

桐始華 - the paulownia begins to bloom
田鼠化爲鴽 - field mice turn into quails
虹始見 - rainbows first appear

Seasonal foods

Dureup, the tender shoots of the angelica tree, appear around Qingming and are usually blanched and dipped in chogochujang. On the south coast, dodari ssukguk, a clear soup of young flounder and mugwort, is a famous spring dish of Tongyeong. Many families also make hwajeon, small rice cakes pressed with azalea petals, on outings in this season.

Gentle habits for bright days

Clear, mild weather invites people outdoors, and the tradition simply encourages it: walks under new leaves, gardening, opening the house to air it out. Spring can also bring yellow dust and pollen, so many people check the daily air forecast before a long walk and choose greener, sheltered routes on dusty days. Evenings still cool quickly, so a light layer is handy.

Korean customs

Hansik, the "cold food" day, falls right beside Qingming, and Korean families traditionally visit ancestral graves around these days to trim grass, repair the mound and offer a simple meal. Planting trees is also linked to this season: Korea's Arbor Day (Sikmogil) is observed in early April, and many villages once planted trees at Qingming. An old custom says that anything done on this day, even moving a grave, needs no special auspicious date.

A classical line for the season

清明時節雨紛紛，路上行人欲斷魂。

At Qingming time the rain falls thick and fast; travellers on the road are near heartbroken.

Du Mu (traditional attribution), "Qingming (清明)"

Questions

What month pillar begins at Qingming?

The Dragon (辰) month: 壬辰 in 2026 and 甲辰 in 2027.

How long is the Dragon month?

From Qingming to Lixia: 30 days, 17 hours and 9 minutes in 2026, and 30 days, 17 hours and 8 minutes in 2027.

Is Qingming the same as Hansik?

They are separate but fall together or within a day or so of each other, so in Korea the grave-visit customs of both are often combined.

Why does 辰 contain Water and Wood?

Its hidden stems in the engine are 乙 (Wood), 癸 (Water) and 戊 (Earth). The tradition reads 辰 as a storehouse of Water and a tail of spring Wood.

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.