Cycle position 37 of 60 · 庚子
2020 Chinese zodiac year
庚子 Yang Metal Rat
The outer Rat year began on 25 January 2020. Its Heavenly Stem is 庚 Geng, carrying yang Metal.
- Begins
- 25 January 2020
- Ends
- 11 February 2021
- Animal
- Rat
One year name · two turning points
Chinese New Year and Li Chun in 2020
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 11 February 2021.
Read the lunar-year boundary →立春 Li Chun
Opens the 庚子 stem–branch year and its first solar-term month.
Open Li Chun in the solar-term cycle →Chinese New Year arrived 10 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 庚子 fixes for 2020
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
- 37 of 60
- Heavenly Stem
- 庚 Geng
- Phase
- Metal
- Polarity
- Yang
- Earthly Branch
- 子 Zi · Rat
Twelve-year branch · sixty-year pillar
When the Rat and 庚子 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 2020 solar-term month calendar
Each jie term opens one branch month. The sequence begins at Li Chun in 2020 and closes at Minor Cold in 2021; 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
- 戊寅Yang Earth TigerYang Earth
Month02惊蛰Awakening of InsectsJīngzhé · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 卯RabbitMao
- Month pillar
- 己卯Yin Earth RabbitYin Earth
Month03清明Clear and BrightQīngmíng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 辰DragonChen
- Month pillar
- 庚辰Yang Metal DragonYang Metal
Month04立夏Start of SummerLìxià · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 巳SnakeSi
- Month pillar
- 辛巳Yin Metal SnakeYin Metal
Month05芒种Grain in EarMángzhòng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 午HorseWu
- Month pillar
- 壬午Yang Water HorseYang Water
Month06小暑Minor HeatXiǎoshǔ · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 未GoatWei
- Month pillar
- 癸未Yin Water GoatYin Water
Month07立秋Start of AutumnLìqiū · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 申MonkeyShen
- Month pillar
- 甲申Yang Wood MonkeyYang Wood
Month08白露White DewBáilù · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 酉RoosterYou
- Month pillar
- 乙酉Yin Wood RoosterYin Wood
Month09寒露Cold DewHánlù · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 戌DogXu
- Month pillar
- 丙戌Yang Fire DogYang Fire
Month10立冬Start of WinterLìdōng · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 亥PigHai
- Month pillar
- 丁亥Yin Fire PigYin Fire
Month11大雪Major SnowDàxuě · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 子RatZi
- Month pillar
- 戊子Yang Earth RatYang Earth
Month12小寒Minor ColdXiǎohán · solar-term boundary - Opens · CST
- Branch animal
- 丑OxChou
- Month pillar
- 己丑Yin Earth OxYin Earth