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The Rich Wertz School Project Experience Presents:
Chinese Culture- A Crash Course

[ Chinese New Year : Lunar Calendar Cycle ]

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Each year in the 60-year Lunar Calendar Cycle is governed by a combination of four factors: 10 Celestial Stems, 5 Basic Elements, 12 Heavenly Branches and 12 Lunar Animals.

In order to distinguish one of the 5 Basic Elemental years from the very next, a yin and yang is applied to each of the elements, so that they number 10. In the first year of a 60-year cycle, the first of the 10 stems is paired with the yin (+) of the first of the 5 elements, while the first of the branches are paired with the first of the lunar animals.

The first year of a 60-year cycle will always be a yin (+), or positive, wood rat year. The second year of a 60-year cycle will always be a yang (-), or negative, wood ox year.

Stems and Elements
Ten Celestial Stems

十天干
shí tiāngān
Five Basic Elements

五形
wŭ xíng
1 jĭa wood+
2 wood-
3 bĭng fire+ hŭo
4 dīng fire- hŭo
5 earth+
6 earth-
7 gēng metal+ jīn
8 xīn metal- jīn
9 rén water+ shŭi
10 gŭi water- shŭi

 

Branches and Animals
Twelve Terrestrial Branches

十二地支
shíèr dìzhī
Twelve Lunar Animals

十二觜
shíèr zī
1 Rat shŭ
2 chŏu Ox niú
3 yín Tiger
4 măo Rabbit
5 chén Dragon lóng
6 Snake shé
7 Horse
8 wèi Sheep yáng
9 shēn Monkey hóu
10 yŏu Rooster
11 Dog gŏu
12 hài Pig zhū

Because the date of the Lunar New Year changes each year, a chart or calculator is needed to determine when the next Chinese New Year occurs on the western Gregorian calendar.

In this Lunar New Year chart, the combination of element, animal, stem and branch are revealed for each of the 120 years of the 78th and 79th 60-year cycle. Each year's place in the cycle is written in the format 78/01/01/01, and can be read as 'the fist day of the first month of the first year in the seventy-eighth cycle'.

Place in the
60- year cycle
Chinese
calendar year
Element Animal Stem Branch Western Date
78/01/01/01 4622 wood
(yin or +)
rat jia zi 02/04/1924
78/02/01/01 4623 wood
(yang or -)
ox yi chou 01/23/1925
78/03/01/01 4624 fire
(yin or +)
tiger bing yin 02/12/1926
78/04/01/01 4625 fire
(yang or -)
rabbit ding mao 02/01/1927
78/05/01/01 4626 earth
(yin or +)
dragon wu chen 01/22/1928
78/06/01/01 4627 earth
(yang or -)
snake ji si 02/09/1929
78/07/01/01 4628 metal
(yin or +)
horse geng wu 01/29/1930
78/08/01/01 4629 metal
(yang or -)
sheep xin wei 02/16/1931
78/09/01/01 4630 water
(yin or +)
monkey ren shen 02/05/1932
78/10/01/01 4631 water
(yang or -)
rooster gui you 01/25/1933
78/11/01/01 4632 wood
(yin or +)
dog jia xu 02/13/1934
78/12/01/01 4633 wood
(yang or -)
pig yi hai 02/03/1935
78/13/01/01 4634 fire
(yin or +)
rat bing zi 01/23/1936
78/14/01/01 4635 fire
(yang or -)
ox ding chou 02/10/1937
78/15/01/01 4636 earth
(yin or +)
tiger wu yin 01/30/1938
78/16/01/01 4637 earth
(yang or -)
rabbit ji mao 02/18/1939
78/17/01/01 4638 metal
(yin or +)
dragon geng chen 02/07/1940
78/18/01/01 4639 metal
(yang or -)
snake xin si 01/26/1941
78/19/01/01 4640 water
(yin or +)
horse ren wu 02/14/1942
78/20/01/01 4641 water
(yang or -)
sheep gui wei 02/04/1943
78/21/01/01 4642 wood
(yin or +)
monkey jia shen 01/24/1944
78/22/01/01 4643 wood
(yang or -)
rooster yi you 02/12/1945
78/23/01/01 4644 fire
(yin or +)
dog bing xu 02/01/1946
78/24/01/01 4645 fire
(yang or -)
pig ding hai 01/21/1947
78/25/01/01 4646 earth
(yin or +)
rat wu zi 02/09/1948
78/26/01/01 4647 earth
(yang or -)
ox ji chou 01/28/1949
78/27/01/01 4648 metal
(yin or +)
tiger geng yin 02/16/1950
78/28/01/01 4649 metal
(yang or -)
rabbit xin mao 02/05/1951
78/29/01/01 4650 water
(yin or +)
dragon ren chen 01/26/1952
78/30/01/01 4651 water
(yang or -)
snake gui si 02/13/1953
78/31/01/01 4652 wood
(yin or +)
horse jia wu 02/02/1954
78/32/01/01 4653 wood
(yang or -)
sheep yi wei 01/23/1955
78/33/01/01 4654 fire
(yin or +)
monkey bing shen 02/11/1956
78/34/01/01 4655 fire
(yang or -)
rooster ding you 01/30/1957
78/35/01/01 4656 earth
(yin or +)
dog wu xu 02/17/1958
78/36/01/01 4657 earth
(yang or -)
pig ji hai 02/07/1959
78/37/01/01 4658 metal
(yin or +)
rat geng zi 01/27/1960
78/38/01/01 4659 metal
(yang or -)
ox xin chou 02/14/1961
78/39/01/01 4660 water
(yin or +)
tiger ren yin 02/04/1962
78/40/01/01 4661 water
(yang or -)
rabbit gui mao 01/24/1963
78/41/01/01 4662 wood
(yin or +)
dragon jia chen 02/12/1964
78/42/01/01 4663 wood
(yang or -)
snake yi si 02/01/1965
78/43/01/01 4664 fire
(yin or +)
horse bing wu 01/20/1966
78/44/01/01 4665 fire
(yang or -)
sheep ding wei 02/08/1967
78/45/01/01 4666 earth
(yin or +)
monkey wu shen 01/29/1968
78/46/01/01 4667 earth
(yang or -)
rooster ji you 02/16/1969
78/47/01/01 4668 metal
(yin or +)
dog geng xu 02/05/1970
78/48/01/01 4669 metal
(yang or -)
pig xin hai 01/26/1971
78/49/01/01 4670 water
(yin or +)
rat ren zi 02/14/1972
78/50/01/01 4671 water
(yang or -)
ox gui chou 02/02/1973
78/51/01/01 4672 wood
(yin or +)
tiger jia yin 01/22/1974
78/52/01/01 4673 wood
(yang or -)
rabbit yi mao 02/10/1975
78/53/01/01 4674 fire
(yin or +)
dragon bing chen 01/30/1976
78/54/01/01 4675 fire
(yang or -)
snake ding si 02/17/1977
78/55/01/01 4676 earth
(yin or +)
horse wu wu 02/06/1978
78/56/01/01 4677 earth
(yang or -)
sheep ji wei 01/27/1979
78/57/01/01 4678 metal
(yin or +)
monkey geng shen 02/15/1980
78/58/01/01 4679 metal
(yang or -)
rooster xin you 02/04/1981
78/59/01/01 4680 water
(yin or +)
dog ren xu 01/24/1982
78/60/01/01 4681 water
(yang or -)
pig gui hai 02/12/1983
79/01/01/01 4682 wood
(yin or +)
rat jia zi 02/01/1984
79/02/01/01 4683 wood
(yang or -)
ox yi chou 02/19/1985
79/03/01/01 4684 fire
(yin or +)
tiger bing yin 02/08/1986
79/04/01/01 4685 fire
(yang or -)
rabbit ding mao 01/28/1987
79/05/01/01 4686 earth
(yin or +)
dragon wu chen 02/16/1988
79/06/01/01 4687 earth
(yang or -)
snake ji si 02/05/1989
79/07/01/01 4688 metal
(yin or +)
horse geng wu 01/26/1990
79/08/01/01 4689 metal
(yang or -)
sheep xin wei 02/14/1991
79/09/01/01 4690 water
(yin or +)
monkey ren shen 02/03/1992
79/10/01/01 4691 water
(yang or -)
rooster gui you 01/22/1993
79/11/01/01 4692 wood
(yin or +)
dog jia xu 02/09/1994
79/12/01/01 4693 wood
(yang or -)
pig yi hai 01/30/1995
79/13/01/01 4694 fire
(yin or +)
rat bing zi 02/18/1996
79/14/01/01 4695 fire
(yang or -)
ox ding chou 02/06/1997
79/15/01/01 4696 earth
(yin or +)
tiger wu yin 01/27/1998
79/16/01/01 4697 earth
(yang or -)
rabbit ji mao 02/15/1999
79/17/01/01 4698 metal
(yin or +)
dragon geng chen 02/04/2000
79/18/01/01 4699 metal
(yang or -)
snake xin si 01/23/2001
79/19/01/01 4700 water
(yin or +)
horse ren wu 02/11/2002
79/20/01/01 4701 water
(yang or -)
sheep gui wei 01/31/2003
79/21/01/01 4702 wood
(yin or +)
monkey jia shen 01/21/2004
79/22/01/01 4703 wood
(yang or -)
rooster yi you 02/08/2005
79/23/01/01 4704 fire
(yin or +)
dog bing xu 01/28/2006
79/24/01/01 4705 fire
(yang or -)
pig ding hai 02/18/2007
79/25/01/01 4706 earth
(yin or +)
rat wu zi 02/06/2008
79/26/01/01 4707 earth
(yang or -)
ox ji chou 01/25/2009
79/27/01/01 4708 metal
(yin or +)
tiger geng yin 02/13/2010
79/28/01/01 4709 metal
(yang or -)
rabbit xin mao 02/02/2011
79/29/01/01 4710 water
(yin or +)
dragon ren chen 01/22/2012
79/30/01/01 4711 water
(yang or -)
snake gui si 02/09/2013
79/31/01/01 4712 wood
(yin or +)
horse jia wu 01/30/2014
79/32/01/01 4713 wood
(yang or -)
sheep yi wei 02/18/2015
79/33/01/01 4714 fire
(yin or +)
monkey bing shen 02/07/2016
79/34/01/01 4715 fire
(yang or -)
rooster ding you 01/27/2017
79/35/01/01 4716 earth
(yin or +)
dog wu xu 02/15/2018
79/36/01/01 4717 earth
(yang or -)
pig ji hai 02/04/2019
79/37/01/01 4718 metal
(yin or +)
rat geng zi 01/24/2020
79/38/01/01 4719 metal
(yang or -)
ox xin chou 02/11/2021
79/39/01/01 4720 water
(yin or +)
tiger ren yin 01/31/2022
79/40/01/01 4721 water
(yang or -)
rabbit gui mao 01/21/2023
79/41/01/01 4722 wood
(yin or +)
dragon jia chen 02/09/2024
79/42/01/01 4723 wood
(yang or -)
snake yi si 01/28/2025
79/43/01/01 4724 fire
(yin or +)
horse bing wu 02/16/2026
79/44/01/01 4725 fire
(yang or -)
sheep ding wei 02/05/2027
79/45/01/01 4726 earth
(yin or +)
monkey wu shen 01/25/2028
79/46/01/01 4727 earth
(yang or -)
rooster ji you 02/12/2029
79/47/01/01 4728 metal
(yin or +)
dog geng xu 02/02/2030
79/48/01/01 4729 metal
(yang or -)
pig xin hai 01/22/2031
79/49/01/01 4730 water
(yin or +)
rat ren zi 02/10/2032
79/50/01/01 4731 water
(yang or -)
ox gui chou 01/30/2033
79/51/01/01 4732 wood
(yin or +)
tiger jia yin 02/18/2034
79/52/01/01 4733 wood
(yang or -)
rabbit yi mao 02/07/2035
79/53/01/01 4734 fire
(yin or +)
dragon bing chen 01/27/2036
79/54/01/01 4735 fire
(yang or -)
snake ding si 02/14/2037
79/55/01/01 4736 earth
(yin or +)
horse wu wu 02/03/2038
79/56/01/01 4737 earth
(yang or -)
sheep ji wei 01/23/2039
79/57/01/01 4738 metal
(yin or +)
monkey geng shen 02/11/2040
79/58/01/01 4739 metal
(yang or -)
rooster xin you 01/31/2041
79/59/01/01 4740 water
(yin or +)
dog ren xu 01/21/2042
79/60/01/01 4741 water
(yang or -)
pig gui hai 02/09/2043