The Chinese lunar calendar is a lunisolar system that tracks months by moon phases and years by the 60-year Ganzhi cycle. Each Ganzhi year pairs one of 10 Heavenly Stems with one of 12 Earthly Branches — 2026 is 丙午 (Bǐng-Wǔ), the Year of the Horse. Select any date between 1950 and 2099 to see its lunar equivalent, Ganzhi designation, zodiac animal, the nearest solar term, and whether it falls on a traditional festival.
How the Chinese lunisolar calendar works
Unlike the purely solar Gregorian calendar, the Chinese calendar ties months to lunar cycles — each month begins on a new moon and lasts 29 or 30 days. Twelve lunar months total about 354 days, roughly 11 days short of a solar year. To stay aligned with the seasons, a leap month (闰月) is inserted about every three years. The result is a lunisolar calendar where festivals like Chinese New Year shift relative to the Gregorian calendar but always land in the same season.
The Ganzhi cycle and zodiac animals
Ganzhi (干支) combines 10 Heavenly Stems (天干: 甲乙丙丁戊己庚辛壬癸) with 12 Earthly Branches (地支: 子丑寅卯辰巳午未申酉戌亥). One Stem pairs with one Branch to name each year, cycling every 60 years. The 12 Branches also map to the 12 zodiac animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. To find any year's zodiac: subtract 4 from the year and take the remainder modulo 12.
The 24 solar terms
Solar terms (节气) divide the tropical year into 24 segments of roughly 15 days, based on the Sun's ecliptic longitude. They mark agricultural milestones — Grain Rain signals planting season, White Dew marks the first autumn chill, and Winter Solstice is the shortest day. Unlike lunar festivals, solar terms fall on nearly the same Gregorian dates each year (±1 day) because they follow the Sun, not the Moon. This tool calculates all 24 for the selected year.
Leap months and why dates shift
A Chinese lunar year with 12 months has 354 days; a Gregorian year has 365.25. The gap accumulates until a leap month is added — the year then has 13 months and 383–385 days. The rule for which month is doubled comes from the solar terms: the leap month is the first month that contains no "major" solar term (中气). This is why some years have a leap April (闰四月) and others a leap June (闰六月).
FAQ
Q: Is the Chinese calendar the same as a lunar calendar?
A: Not exactly. A pure lunar calendar (like the Islamic Hijri calendar) follows moon phases only and drifts across seasons. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar — it uses moon phases for months but adds leap months to keep in sync with the solar year. That is why Chinese New Year always falls between January 21 and February 20.
Q: How do I find the zodiac animal for a specific year?
A: Subtract 4 from the year, divide by 12, and look at the remainder: 0 = Rat, 1 = Ox, 2 = Tiger, 3 = Rabbit, 4 = Dragon, 5 = Snake, 6 = Horse, 7 = Goat, 8 = Monkey, 9 = Rooster, 10 = Dog, 11 = Pig. For example, 2026: (2026 − 4) mod 12 = 2022 mod 12 = 6 → Horse.
Q: Why does Chinese New Year fall on different Gregorian dates each year?
A: Chinese New Year is the first day of the first lunar month. Since a lunar month is 29.5 days, twelve months add up to 354 days — about 11 days short of a solar year. The date shifts each year and resets when a leap month is inserted. The result: Chinese New Year can fall anywhere between January 21 and February 20.