Cycle position 20 of 60 · 癸未
2003 Chinese zodiac year
癸未 Yin Water Goat
The outer Goat year began on 1 February 2003. Its Heavenly Stem is 癸 Gui, carrying yin Water.
- Begins
- 1 February 2003
- Ends
- 21 January 2004
- Animal
- Goat

One year name · two turning points
Chinese New Year and Li Chun in 2003
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 Goat interval, which ends 21 January 2004.
Read the lunar-year boundary →立春 Li Chun
Opens the 癸未 stem–branch year and its first solar-term month.
Open Li Chun in the solar-term cycle →Chinese New Year arrived 3 calendar days before Li Chun. In the gap, the outer zodiac animal had entered this year while the Four Pillars year still belonged to the preceding stem–branch pair.
The complete annual coordinate
What 癸未 fixes for 2003
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
- 20 of 60
- Heavenly Stem
- 癸 Gui
- Phase
- Water
- Polarity
- Yin
- Earthly Branch
- 未 Wei · Goat
Twelve-year branch · sixty-year pillar
When the Goat and 癸未 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 2003 solar-term month calendar
Each jie term opens one branch month. The sequence begins at Li Chun in 2003 and closes at Minor Cold in 2004; 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
- 甲寅Yang Wood TigerYang Wood
Month02惊蛰Awakening of InsectsJīngzhé · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 卯RabbitMao
- Month pillar
- 乙卯Yin Wood RabbitYin Wood
Month03清明Clear and BrightQīngmíng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 辰DragonChen
- Month pillar
- 丙辰Yang Fire DragonYang Fire
Month04立夏Start of SummerLìxià · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 巳SnakeSi
- Month pillar
- 丁巳Yin Fire SnakeYin Fire
Month05芒种Grain in EarMángzhòng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 午HorseWu
- Month pillar
- 戊午Yang Earth HorseYang Earth
Month06小暑Minor HeatXiǎoshǔ · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 未GoatWei
- Month pillar
- 己未Yin Earth GoatYin Earth
Month07立秋Start of AutumnLìqiū · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 申MonkeyShen
- Month pillar
- 庚申Yang Metal MonkeyYang Metal
Month08白露White DewBáilù · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 酉RoosterYou
- Month pillar
- 辛酉Yin Metal RoosterYin Metal
Month09寒露Cold DewHánlù · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 戌DogXu
- Month pillar
- 壬戌Yang Water DogYang Water
Month10立冬Start of WinterLìdōng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 亥PigHai
- Month pillar
- 癸亥Yin Water PigYin Water
Month11大雪Major SnowDàxuě · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 子RatZi
- Month pillar
- 甲子Yang Wood RatYang Wood
Month12小寒Minor ColdXiǎohán · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 丑OxChou
- Month pillar
- 乙丑Yin Wood OxYin Wood