月柱 · twelve solar-term months
Inner animal calculator
Find the Earthly Branch traditionally called the inner animal—and the Heavenly Stem that completes its month pillar. The calculation follows the exact jie solar-term boundary, not a fixed Gregorian date.
Birth moment → month pillar
Locate the exact seasonal month
A time is optional on ordinary dates. The UTC offset places the birth moment and the China Standard Time solar-term record on the same timeline.
Your seasonal month opens here
Enter a birth date to find the jie term, month branch and derived month stem that contain it.
Why March is not a complete input
Gregorian months cut across branch months
A search such as “born in March inner animal” needs a date, and sometimes a time. The Rabbit month opens at Jingzhe in early March, so births before that moment remain in the Tiger month.
- 01
Find the last jie
The twelve alternating solar terms open the twelve branch months.
- 02
Read its branch
Each opening term is fixed to one branch, from Tiger at Li Chun through Ox at Minor Cold.
- 03
Derive the stem
The year stem and Five Tigers rule supply the moving stem that completes the month pillar.
Twelve openings · twelve canonical branch records
The complete inner-animal sequence
The table names the month order counted from Li Chun. Exact dates and times are calculated per year rather than frozen into this reference.
- 01寅 Tiger month
Opens at 立春 Lìchūn · Start of Spring
Full Tiger branch → - 02卯 Rabbit month
Opens at 惊蛰 Jīngzhé · Awakening of Insects
Full Rabbit branch → - 03辰 Dragon month
Opens at 清明 Qīngmíng · Clear and Bright
Full Dragon branch → - 04巳 Snake month
Opens at 立夏 Lìxià · Start of Summer
Full Snake branch → - 05午 Horse month
Opens at 芒种 Mángzhòng · Grain in Ear
Full Horse branch → - 06未 Goat month
Opens at 小暑 Xiǎoshǔ · Minor Heat
Full Goat branch → - 07申 Monkey month
Opens at 立秋 Lìqiū · Start of Autumn
Full Monkey branch → - 08酉 Rooster month
Opens at 白露 Báilù · White Dew
Full Rooster branch → - 09戌 Dog month
Opens at 寒露 Hánlù · Cold Dew
Full Dog branch → - 10亥 Pig month
Opens at 立冬 Lìdōng · Start of Winter
Full Pig branch → - 11子 Rat month
Opens at 大雪 Dàxuě · Major Snow
Full Rat branch → - 12丑 Ox month
Opens at 小寒 Xiǎohán · Minor Cold
Full Ox branch →