Meaning of Soman (小滿) — the 8th of the 24 Solar Terms, around May 20-22

Soman (小滿) is the 8th of the 24 solar terms. It begins around May 20-22, when the Sun reaches 60° of ecliptic longitude.

At a glance

Category	Details
Hanja	小滿
Season	☀️ Summer
Gregorian timing	Around May 20-22
Solar ecliptic longitude	60°
Saju monthly qi	Middle qi (中氣) — the midpoint of the month
Core keywords	Gradual fullness, growth

Meaning and origins

Soman means that “all things grow and become a little (小) full (滿).” It is a solar term when barley ripens, rice planting begins, and the energy of summer rises. In the past, it also marked the final stretch of the barley hump, the lean season before the barley harvest.

Customs and foods

People gathered seasonal bamboo shoots and cooked them, and they ate the pleasantly bitter leaves of sow thistle to awaken the appetite. Because this season could easily become dry, people also waited earnestly for rain.

Saju and the solar terms

Soman is a middle qi (中氣), marking the midpoint of the lunar month. In myeongli, or saju theory, the boundary of the month pillar (月柱) is based on the twelve seasonal nodes (節), while the middle qi is read as the point when that month’s qi becomes most concentrated.

Wisdom for this time of year

It is still “Soman (小滿)” — only a partial fullness. Do not rush completion; trust that things are still growing.

Learn more

• See all 24 solar terms: 24절기 사전
• Today’s daily cycle, zodiac signs, and tarot: 오늘의 우주 (oiyo.net)
• A saju calendar guided by solar terms: 사주 대사전

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The solar terms are a seasonal calendar that divides the Sun’s path into twenty-four parts. This is a traditional explanation based on the climate of the Korean Peninsula, and the actual date may vary by about a day each year.