Chinese calendar | Structure, History, & Zodiac

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[{"p":1,"t":112407},{"p":1,"t":351352},{"p":1,"t":1273422},{"p":1,"t":112668},{"p":15,"t":112079},{"p":6,"t":553008},{"p":1,"t":295700},{"p":1,"t":1090618},{"p":13,"t":112603},{"p":1,"t":552874}], "sequence": 1, "topics": {} }); </script> <article class="article-content container-lg qa-content px-0 pt-0 pb-40 py-lg-20 content md-expanded" data-topic-id="112407"> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Chinese-calendar">Chinese calendar</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/science/Chinese-calendar">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref385512"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/science/Chinese-calendar#ref385512">Early history</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref385513"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/science/Chinese-calendar#ref385513">Development of the <em>yinyang li</em></a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref385514"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/science/Chinese-calendar#ref385514">The calendar in practice</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Chinese-calendar/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Chinese-calendar">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Chinese-calendar/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/oficina-afers-religiosos/en/blog/understanding-chinese-calendar" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Barcelona City Council - The Religious Affairs Office - Understanding the Chinese calendar</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.webexhibits.org//calendars/calendar-chinese.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">WebExhibits - Calendars Through The Ages - The Chinese Calendar</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/animals-of-chinese-calendar" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">National Museums Liverpool - The animals of the Chinese calendar</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.academia.edu/28840012/The_Structure_of_the_Chinese_Calendar" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Academia - The Structure of the Chinese Calendar</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Chao-Lin/525" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Chao Lin</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Former Visiting Associate Professor of History, National Chung-hsing University, Tai-chung, Taiwan. Author of <i>Marriage, Inheritance and Lineage Organization in Shang-Chou China.</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Chao Lin</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Chinese-calendar/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Sima-Qian" topicid="562143">Sima Qian</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Su-Song" topicid="1530547">Su Song</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Chinese-calendar"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref115974"></span>Chinese calendar</strong>, dating system used concurrently with the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gregorian-calendar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gregorian (Western) calendar</a> in <span id="ref115975"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/China" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">China</a> and <span id="ref115976"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Taiwan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Taiwan</a> and in neighboring countries (e.g., <span id="ref115977"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Japan</a>). The Chinese <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/calendar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">calendar</a> is lunar-solar, its year consisting of 12 months of alternately 29 and 30 days, equal to 354 days, or approximately 12 full lunar cycles. Intercalary months have been inserted to keep the calendar year in step with the solar year of about 365 days. Months are referred to by number within a year and sometimes also by a series of 12 animal names that from ancient times have been attached to years and to hours of the day and that <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="comprise" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprise" data-type="MW">comprise</a> the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-zodiac" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chinese zodiac</a>. These names in order are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref385512"> <h2 class="h1">Early history</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Evidence from the Shang oracle bone inscriptions shows that at least by the 14th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shang-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Shang dynasty</a> Chinese had established the solar year at 365.25 days and lunation at 29.5 days. In the calendar that the Shang used, the seasons of the year and the phases of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/moon-natural-satellite" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Moon</a> were all supposedly accounted for. One of the two methods that they used to make this calendar was to add an extra <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/month" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">month</a> of 29 or 30 days, which they termed the 13th month, to the end of a regular 12-month year. There is also evidence that suggests that the Chinese developed the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Metonic-cycle" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Metonic cycle</a>—i.e., 19 years with a total of 235 months—a century ahead of Meton’s first calculation (no later than the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Spring-and-Autumn-Period" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Spring and Autumn period</a>, 770–476 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>). During this cycle of 19 years there were seven <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/intercalation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">intercalations</a> of months. The other method, which was abandoned soon after the Shang started to adopt it, was to insert an extra month between any two months of a regular year. Possibly, a lack of astronomical and arithmetical knowledge allowed them to do this.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">By the 3rd century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> the first method of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/intercalation" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">intercalation</a> was gradually falling into disfavor, while the establishment of the meteorological cycle, the <em>ershisi jieqi</em>, during this period officially revised the second method. This meteorological cycle contained 24 points, each beginning one of the periods named consecutively the Spring Begins, the Rain Water, the Excited Insects, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/vernal-equinox" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Vernal Equinox</a>, the Clear and Bright, the Grain Rains, the Summer Begins, the Grain Fills, the Grain in Ear, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/summer-solstice-astronomy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Summer Solstice</a>, the Slight Heat, the Great Heat, the Autumn Begins, the Limit of Heat, the White Dew, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/autumnal-equinox" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Autumn Equinox</a>, the Cold Dew, the Hoar Frost <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Descends" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Descends" data-type="EB">Descends</a>, the Winter Begins, the Little Snow, the Heavy Snow, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/winter-solstice" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Winter Solstice</a>, the Little Cold, and the Severe Cold. The establishment of this cycle required a fair amount of astronomical understanding of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Earth" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Earth</a> as a celestial body, and without elaborate equipment it is impossible to collect the necessary information. Modern scholars acknowledge the superiority of pre-Sung Chinese astronomy (at least until about the 13th century <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span>) over that of other, contemporary nations.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-read-more-module" href="/science/calendar/The-sacred-calendar#ref313501" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/01/73201-050-F6ADB731/title-page-Kalendarium-Regiomontanus.jpg" alt="Kalendarium (“Calendar”) by Regiomontanus" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-navy-dark">More From Britannica</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">calendar: The Chinese calendar</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref385513"> <h2 class="h1">Development of the <em>yinyang li</em></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="127431" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/48/102248-050-6F924A91/yinyang-li-calendar-Chinese-hare-ox-tiger.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/112407/127431"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/48/102248-050-6F924A91/yinyang-li-calendar-Chinese-hare-ox-tiger.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/48/102248-050-6F924A91/yinyang-li-calendar-Chinese-hare-ox-tiger.jpg?w=300" alt="Chinese yinyang li calendar" data-width="1197" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/48/102248-050-6F924A91/yinyang-li-calendar-Chinese-hare-ox-tiger.jpg" data-href="/media/1/112407/127431">Chinese <em>yinyang li</em> calendar</a><span>The Chinese <em>yinyang li</em> calendar, which shows the traditional Chinese zodiac signs: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The 24 points within the meteorological cycle coincide with points 15° apart on the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ecliptic" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ecliptic</a> (the plane of Earth’s yearly journey around the Sun or, if it is thought that the Sun turns around Earth, the apparent journey of the Sun against the stars). It takes about 15.2 days for the Sun to travel from one of these points to another (because the ecliptic is a complete circle of 360°), and the Sun needs 365.25 days to finish its journey in this cycle. Supposedly, each of the 12 months of the year contains two points, but, because a lunar month has only 29.5 days and the two points share about 30.4 days, there is always the chance that a lunar month will fail to contain both points, though the distance between any two given points is only 15°. If such an occasion occurs, the intercalation of an extra month takes place. For instance, one may find a year with two “Julys” or with two “Augusts” in the Chinese calendar. In fact, the exact length of the month in the Chinese calendar is either 30 days or 29 days—a phenomenon which reflects its lunar origin. Also, the meteorological cycle means essentially a solar year. The Chinese thus consider their calendar as <em>yinyang li</em>, or a lunar-solar (literally, “heaven-earth”) calendar.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Although the <em>yinyang li</em> has been continuously employed by the Chinese, foreign calendars were introduced to the Chinese—the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hindu-calendar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hindu calendar</a>, for instance, during the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tang-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tang dynasty</a> (618–907)—and were once used concurrently with the native calendar. This situation also held true for the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islamic-calendar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Muslim calendar</a>, which was introduced during the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yuan-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yuan (Mongol) dynasty</a> (1206–1368). The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gregorian-calendar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gregorian calendar</a> was taken to China by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jesuits" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jesuit</a> missionaries in 1582, the very year that it was first used by Europeans. Not until 1912, after the general public adopted the Gregorian calendar, did the <em>yinyang li</em> lose its primary importance.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">One of the most distinguished <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="characteristics" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/characteristics" data-type="EB">characteristics</a> of the Chinese calendar is its time-honored day-count system. By combining the 10 celestial stems, <em>gan</em>, and the 12 terrestrial branches, <em>zhi</em>, into 60 units, the Shang Chinese counted the days with <em>ganzhi</em> combinations cyclically. The <em>ganzhi</em> day-count system has been in use for more than 3,000 years. Out of this method there developed the idea of <em>xun</em>, 10 days, which some scholars would render into English as “week.” The <em>ganzhi</em> combinations probably were adopted for year count by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Han-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Han dynasty</a> emperors during the 2nd century <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span>.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <em>yinyang li</em> may have been preceded by a pure <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/lunar-calendar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">lunar calendar</a> because there is one occurrence of the “14th month” and one occurrence of the “15th month” in the Shang <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="oracle" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/oracle" data-type="EB">oracle</a> bone inscriptions. Unless there was a drastic change in the computation, it is quite inconceivable that an extra 90 days should have been added to a regular year. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Julius-Caesar-by-Shakespeare" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Julius Caesar</a> had made 45 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> into a year of 445 days for the sake of the adoption of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Julian-calendar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Julian calendar</a> in the next year. Presumably, the Shang king could have done the same for similar reasons. From the above discussion on the intercalation of months, it is clear that within the <em>yinyang li</em> the details of the lunar calendar are more important than those of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/solar-calendar" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">solar calendar</a>. In a solar calendar the 24 meteorological points would recur on the same days every year. Moreover, if a solar calendar were adopted first, then the problem of intercalation would be more related to the intercalation of days rather than intercalation of months.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h4"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref385514"> <h2 class="h1">The calendar in practice</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Many traditional Chinese scholars tried to synchronize the discrepancy between the lunation and the solar year. Some even developed their own ways of computation embodying accounts of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/eclipse" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">eclipses</a> and of other astronomical phenomena. These writings <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constitute" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constitute" data-type="MW">constitute</a> the bulk of the traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/almanac" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">almanacs</a>. In the estimation of modern scholars, at least 102 kinds of almanacs were known, and some were used regularly. The validity or the popularity of each of these almanacs depends heavily on the author’s proficiency in handling planetary cycles. In the past these authors competed with one another for the position of calendar master in the Imperial court, even though mistakes in their almanacs could bring them punishment, including death.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="275459" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="video" video-id="238255"><a data-id="238255" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/discover-myth-behind-Chinese-zodiac/-275459"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/55/238255-138-294D501B/discover-myth-behind-Chinese-zodiac.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Discover the myth behind the Chinese zodiac" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/8zLEYsux.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/55/238255-138-294D501B/discover-myth-behind-Chinese-zodiac.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/WZHOyDMf", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/IMbJ9eug.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="238255">Discover the myth behind the Chinese zodiac</span><span>Find out why 2008 and 2012 were both the year of the rat.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/science/Chinese-calendar/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In popular <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a> and practice, an additional component to the Chinese calendar system is the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-zodiac" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chinese zodiac</a>. In this classification system, which is annual rather than the monthly constellation-based system of the Western <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/zodiac" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">zodiac</a>, each year in a 12-year cycle is assigned an animal, and each animal is associated with a personality that typifies the year and those born during that year. The cycle changes to a new animal each year at the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-New-Year" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chinese New Year</a>. (For a full discussion, <em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-zodiac" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chinese zodiac</a>.)</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Chao-Lin/525">Chao Lin</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":112407,"pageLength":1259,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.9"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.9' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Chinese calendar | Structure, History, & Zodiac | Britannica