Yushui 雨水, Rain Water: when snow turns to rain

Yushui (雨水, Usu in Korean), "Rain Water", is the second solar term. The sun reaches 330 degrees, falling snow starts to turn into rain, and the ice on rivers loosens.

Dates and place in the calendar

Yushui arrived just after midnight on 19 February 2026, at 00:52 Korea time. In 2027 it comes on the same date at 06:33. It is a qi (中氣), a "middle" term: it does not open a new month but sits inside the Tiger month that Lichun opened, so the month pillar stays 庚寅 in 2026 and 壬寅 in 2027.

Middle terms have their own job in the lunisolar calendar. The lunar month that contains Yushui is counted as the first month of the year. In 2026 Seollal fell on 17 February and Yushui two days later, so the rule and the holiday agree; in 2027 Seollal is on 7 February and Yushui again follows inside that same lunar month.

What the name means

雨 is rain and 水 is water. Earlier terms speak of cold and ice; here the almanac notices that precipitation is changing form. The tradition reads Yushui as the season when water, frozen and still through winter, starts to move again, and moving water is the first sign that Wood (growth) can draw on it. In five-phase language, Water feeds Wood, and this is the point in the year where that feeding becomes visible.

What changes in nature

On the Korean peninsula the thaw usually still comes in fits: a mild rainy day, then a hard frost. Streams run louder in the afternoon, and fields turn dark and soft where the snow has gone. The three pentads of the old almanac are charming to read: otters lay out the fish they catch as if making an offering, wild geese head north, and grasses and trees begin to bud.

• 獺祭魚 - the otter "offers" its fish
• 鴻雁來 - wild geese come (on their way north)
• 草木萌動 - plants begin to sprout

Seasonal foods

This is the time for naengi (shepherd's purse) dug from the edges of fields, often eaten in a light doenjang soup. Spinach grown through the winter in the south is short, sweet and thick-leaved, and a simple spinach and soybean-paste soup is a common home dish at this time of year. The tradition links green and sour flavours with Wood, the element that is just waking, so a plate of blanched greens with a dash of vinegar fits the season well.

Gentle habits for a damp, changeable season

Yushui weather swings between rain and frost, and houses can feel chilly and damp. Everyday habits suit it: keep feet and the back of the neck warm, open windows around midday when the sun is highest, and take a short walk in the noon light rather than in the raw early morning. Warm soups and cooked vegetables are the usual choice while the air is still cold.

A Korean saying

Koreans say "우수 경칩에 대동강 물이 풀린다", "by Usu and Gyeongchip the Taedong River thaws." The Taedong flows through Pyongyang in the north, so the saying marks the moment when even northern rivers begin to loosen. It is still used today, half as a weather note and half as a way of saying that hard times soften in their season.

A classical line for the season

好雨知時節，當春乃發生。

The good rain knows its season; it comes just as spring begins to stir life.

Du Fu, "Delighting in Rain on a Spring Night (春夜喜雨)"

Questions

Is Yushui a month-opening term?

No. It is a middle (qi) term. The Tiger month started at Lichun and continues until Jingzhe, so the month pillar in 2026 stays 庚寅 across Yushui.

How long after Lichun does Yushui come?

In 2026 the gap was 14 days, 19 hours and 50 minutes; in 2027 it is 14 days, 19 hours and 47 minutes.

Why does Yushui decide the first lunar month?

The lunisolar calendar numbers its months by the middle terms they contain. The month that holds Yushui is the first month, which is why Seollal usually falls near it.

Does the date shift between years?

Only a little. Both 2026 and 2027 fall on 19 February; the clock time moves from 00:52 to 06:33.

Recipes for this season

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