San Francisco and the Chinese solar calendar

Pentads: 鸡乳 · 征鸟厉疾 · 水泽腹坚

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 34.0°F at this point in the year. At SFO, CA the 1991–2020 average is 51.9°F — warmer by 17.9°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 SFO, CA a normal year records 0.1 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 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 45.1°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 SFO, CA the 1991–2020 average is 51.0°F — warmer by 17.9°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 SFO, CA a normal year records 0.1 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 57.7°F, and 34.9% 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: 苦菜秀 · 靡草死 · 麦秋至

flourishing and blooming (蕃秀 fán xiù). Go to bed late and rise early; do not resent the long day.

This is the response to summer qi — the way of nourishing growth (養長). Going against it is said to injure the heart, so that autumn brings intermittent fevers and there is less to carry the gathering-in.

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 72.3°F at this point in the year. At SFO, CA the 1991–2020 average is 61.1°F — cooler by 11.2°F.
• This is the fastest-warming fortnight of your year: 1.5°F above the one before it.

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 69.5°F with rain on about 7.9% of days. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.

Pentads: 腐草为萤 · 土润溽暑 · 大雨时行

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 81.3°F at this point in the year. At SFO, CA the 1991–2020 average is 64.3°F — cooler by 17.0°F.

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 14h 20m, down 19 minutes from two weeks ago. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.