Los Angeles and the Chinese solar calendar

Pentads: 虹藏不见 · 天气上升地气下降 · 闭塞而成冬

closing and storing (閉藏 bì cáng). Go to bed early and rise late — wait for the sunlight. Leave the cold, stay near warmth, and do not let the skin sweat open.

This is the response to winter qi — the way of nourishing the storing (養藏). Going against it is said to injure the kidney, so that spring brings weakness and collapse and there is less to carry the bringing-forth.

Su Wen, 'Four Qi Regulate the Spirit' (素問·四氣調神大論); pentads from the Yue Ling Qi Shi Er Hou Ji Jie

• This fortnight's advice was written for a place averaging 40.6°F at this point in the year. At LAX, CA the 1991–2020 average is 59.4°F — warmer by 18.8°F.
• The name of this fortnight, 'Minor Snow', is a phenological marker from the Yellow River valley — an observation of what was seen happening, not a temperature threshold. At LAX, CA a normal year records 0.0 days at or below freezing in total. The name and the thermometer are two different kinds of statement, and here they part company entirely.
• This is the fastest-cooling fortnight of your year: 3.3°F below the one before it.

If Yang deficiency came out high for you. Traditional theory associates Yang deficiency with feeling the cold sooner than the people around you. That is a theoretical association drawn from the classical literature, not a research finding. Your average low this fortnight is 50.8°F, and about 0.0 days typically fall to freezing or below. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.

Pentads: 雁北乡 · 鹊始巢 · 雉雊

Same seasonal passage as above — the classical text gives one instruction per season, not one per fortnight.

• This fortnight's advice was written for a place averaging 33.1°F at this point in the year. At LAX, CA the 1991–2020 average is 57.9°F — warmer by 24.8°F.
• The name of this fortnight, 'Minor Cold', is a phenological marker from the Yellow River valley — an observation of what was seen happening, not a temperature threshold. At LAX, CA a normal year records 0.0 days at or below freezing in total. The name and the thermometer are two different kinds of statement, and here they part company entirely.

If Yin deficiency came out high for you. Traditional theory associates Yin deficiency with internal dryness and a sense of heat from within. That is a theoretical association drawn from the classical literature, not a research finding. Your average high this fortnight is 66.4°F, and 19.4% of days typically see measurable rain. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.

Pentads: 鸡乳 · 征鸟厉疾 · 水泽腹坚

Same seasonal passage as above — the classical text gives one instruction per season, not one per fortnight.

• This fortnight's advice was written for a place averaging 34.0°F at this point in the year. At LAX, CA the 1991–2020 average is 57.9°F — warmer by 23.9°F.
• The name of this fortnight, 'Major Cold', is a phenological marker from the Yellow River valley — an observation of what was seen happening, not a temperature threshold. At LAX, CA a normal year records 0.0 days at or below freezing in total. The name and the thermometer are two different kinds of statement, and here they part company entirely.

If Qi stagnation came out high for you. Traditional theory associates Qi stagnation with mood that moves with the season; the classical texts tie autumn's gathering-in to it in particular. That is a theoretical association drawn from the classical literature, not a research finding. Daylight at your latitude is 10h 13m, up 14 minutes from two weeks ago. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.

Pentads: 鹖鴠不鸣 · 虎始交 · 荔挺出

Same seasonal passage as above — the classical text gives one instruction per season, not one per fortnight.

• This fortnight's advice was written for a place averaging 36.3°F at this point in the year. At LAX, CA the 1991–2020 average is 57.5°F — warmer by 21.2°F.
• The name of this fortnight, 'Major Snow', is a phenological marker from the Yellow River valley — an observation of what was seen happening, not a temperature threshold. At LAX, CA a normal year records 0.0 days at or below freezing in total. The name and the thermometer are two different kinds of statement, and here they part company entirely.

If Damp-heat came out high for you. Traditional theory associates Damp-heat with damp and heat arriving together, rather than either one alone. That is a theoretical association drawn from the classical literature, not a research finding. This fortnight runs to an average high of 65.9°F with rain on about 17.1% of days. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.