中国传统的历法现在叫“农历”。农历实际上是阴阳历，阴历是以月亮围绕地球公转的周期来计算、划分的，平年全年354天或355天，有十二个月，大月三十天，小月二十九天，不过一年中哪个月大，哪个月小，年年不同。由于其天数比太阳年约差十一天，所以在每十九年内设置七个闰月，有闰月的年份全年就是383天或384天。2009年就有一个闰月，多出来的是闰五月。
农历中还有一个非常重要部分是“二十四节气”。二十四节气是根据太阳在地球绕太阳公转的轨道上的位置来划分的，实际上是农历中阳历的部分。每个月有两个节气。由于节气的划分充分考虑了季节、气候、物候等自然现象的变化，从古至今，人们在安排农业生产的时候多是参照二十四节气。
关于二十四节气，有一首歌谣把二十四节气的名称和特点很精炼地描述了出来：
春雨惊春清谷天，夏满芒夏暑相连
秋处露秋寒霜降，冬雪雪冬小大寒
每月两节不变更，最多相差一两天
上半年来六廿一，下半年是八廿三。
下面，我们就按照这首歌谣的顺序，逐一介绍二十四节气。
Traditional Chinese Calendar is also called the Lunar Calendar. The Lunar Calendar is actually lunisolar, incorporating some elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. The lunar calendar is calculated by the circles of the moon revolving the sun. A standard year has 354 or 355 days, and 12 months. A longer month has 30 days and a shorter month has 29 days. However, every year the number of the days in each month is different. Since a year in the Lunar Calendar has 11 days fewer than a solar year, 7 intercalary months (simplified Chinese: 闰月; pinyin: rùn yuè) will appear every 19 years. A year with an intercalary month has 383 or 384 days. The year 2009 has an intercalary month, which came after May.
Another important part in the Lunar Calendar is the 24 solar terms. They are called jiéqì (节气) in Chinese.24 solar terms are divided by the position of the sun on the track of the earth revolving the sun. In fact, it is the solar element in the Lunar Calendar. Each month has two solar terms. Since the division of the solar terms has taken the seasons, the climate and the changes in the natural environment into consideration, solar terms have been used as important references for people to plan agricultural production.
As to the 24 solar terms, there is a song which precisely describes their names and characteristics.
Start of spring, rain water, awakening of insects, vernal equinox, clear and bright, grain rain are all in Spring.
Start of summer, grain full, grain in ear, summer solstice, minor heat, major heat, are all in summer.
Start of autumn, limit of heat, white dew, autumnal equinox, cold dew, descent of frost are in autumn.
Start of winter, minor snow, major snow, winter solstice, minor cold, major cold are all in winter.
There are two solar terms in each month. The date of each solar term only comes with the difference of one day or two.
Solar terms come around the 6th and 21st in the Gregorian calendar in the first half of the year and around the 8th, and 23rd in the Gregorian calendar in the second half of the year.
In the following, we will introduce the 24 solar terms according to their sequences in the song.
