Cycle position 13 of 60 · 丙子
1996 Chinese zodiac year
丙子 Yang Fire Rat
The outer Rat year began on 19 February 1996. Its Heavenly Stem is 丙 Bing, carrying yang Fire.
- Begins
- 19 February 1996
- Ends
- 6 February 1997
- Animal
- Rat
One year name · two turning points
Chinese New Year and Li Chun in 1996
The popular animal-year reading turns on Chinese New Year. Four Pillars uses Li Chun, the solar term that also opens the Tiger month. The dates below show exactly where the two systems separate. The Li Chun moment is shown in China Standard Time (CST).
Chinese New Year
Begins the Rat interval, which ends 6 February 1997.
Read the lunar-year boundary →立春 Li Chun
Opens the 丙子 stem–branch year and its first solar-term month.
Open Li Chun in the solar-term cycle →Li Chun arrived 15 calendar days before Chinese New Year. In the gap, Four Pillars had entered this stem–branch year while the outer zodiac animal still belonged to the preceding year.
The complete annual coordinate
What 丙子 fixes for 1996
The year name is one valid meeting of the ten-stem and twelve-branch sequences. Each linked coordinate has its own reference page.
- Cycle position
- 13 of 60
- Heavenly Stem
- 丙 Bing
- Phase
- Fire
- Polarity
- Yang
- Earthly Branch
- 子 Zi · Rat
Twelve-year branch · sixty-year pillar
When the Rat and 丙子 return
A branch repeats every twelve years; the same stem and branch meet every sixty. These are every matching year in the supported 1901–2099 annual range.
Twelve jie boundaries · China Standard Time (CST)
The 1996 solar-term month calendar
Each jie term opens one branch month. The sequence begins at Li Chun in 1996 and closes at Minor Cold in 1997; the timestamp, branch and complete month pillar change from month to month. Every timestamp is shown in China Standard Time (CST).
Month01立春Start of SpringLìchūn · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 寅TigerYin
- Month pillar
- 庚寅Yang Metal TigerYang Metal
Month02惊蛰Awakening of InsectsJīngzhé · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 卯RabbitMao
- Month pillar
- 辛卯Yin Metal RabbitYin Metal
Month03清明Clear and BrightQīngmíng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 辰DragonChen
- Month pillar
- 壬辰Yang Water DragonYang Water
Month04立夏Start of SummerLìxià · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 巳SnakeSi
- Month pillar
- 癸巳Yin Water SnakeYin Water
Month05芒种Grain in EarMángzhòng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 午HorseWu
- Month pillar
- 甲午Yang Wood HorseYang Wood
Month06小暑Minor HeatXiǎoshǔ · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 未GoatWei
- Month pillar
- 乙未Yin Wood GoatYin Wood
Month07立秋Start of AutumnLìqiū · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 申MonkeyShen
- Month pillar
- 丙申Yang Fire MonkeyYang Fire
Month08白露White DewBáilù · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 酉RoosterYou
- Month pillar
- 丁酉Yin Fire RoosterYin Fire
Month09寒露Cold DewHánlù · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 戌DogXu
- Month pillar
- 戊戌Yang Earth DogYang Earth
Month10立冬Start of WinterLìdōng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 亥PigHai
- Month pillar
- 己亥Yin Earth PigYin Earth
Month11大雪Major SnowDàxuě · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 子RatZi
- Month pillar
- 庚子Yang Metal RatYang Metal
Month12小寒Minor ColdXiǎohán · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 丑OxChou
- Month pillar
- 辛丑Yin Metal OxYin Metal