Which boundary should I use, Lichun or Chinese New Year?

For astrology (BaZi, Tai Sui, annual forecasts) use Lichun — that is the boundary every classical text uses. For festivals and popular usage the lunar New Year is common. If the two disagree for your birthday, the calculator says so explicitly.

Why does the calculator ask for a time and a place?

Lichun happens at an exact minute in Beijing time; for a birth within a day of it, the time zone decides which side you fall on. For everyone else the time and place only affect the day pillar line at the bottom.

I was born in late January. Am I the new animal or the old one?

Almost always the old one by Lichun (which is around 4 February) and it depends on the year by Chinese New Year. Enter the date and the calculator shows both answers with the dates for that specific year.

Does the calculator handle years before 1950?

Yes, from 1900 onwards; time zones before the modern system are taken from the IANA history (local mean time where that applied).

Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Most zodiac lookups only ask for a year and get January and February births wrong. The Chinese zodiac year does not start on 1 January: by the solar calendar it starts at Lichun (立春, around 4 February at an exact minute), and by the lunar calendar at Chinese New Year (between 21 January and 20 February). This calculator computes both and tells you when they disagree.

Example: Lichun 2027 is 4 Feb 2027, 09:46 (Beijing time, UTC+8) and Chinese New Year 2027 is 2027-02-06 — anyone born between the two is a Goat by one rule and the previous sign by the other.

Birth details (clock time at the birthplace)YearMonthDayHour (0–23)MinuteBirthplace (for time zone and true solar time)Late Zi hour (23:00–24:00)Only matters if you were born between 23:00 and midnight true solar time: the two schools disagree on whether the day pillar changes at 23:00 or at midnight.

Year boundary: Lichun (solar, default) Chinese New Year (lunar)

Your Chinese zodiac sign (Lichun boundary)

Goat (Sheep / Ram)

Year pillar 辛未 — Metal Goat by the solar calendar. Both boundaries agree for your date.

Read the Goat's 2027 forecast →

Lichun 1991 (solar year start)	4 Feb 1991, 03:08 at New York · 16:08 Beijing time on 1991-02-04
Chinese New Year 1991	1991-02-15 (year of the Goat); the previous lunar year was the Horse
Your birth moment in Beijing time	1991-07-16 00:00 (UTC offset at New York: −4h)
Day pillar	丙戌 · true solar time 10:58 (-62 min correction) · late Zi rule: next day

How this calculator works

The birth clock time is converted to UTC using the birthplace's time zone history (including daylight saving), then compared with the astronomical instant of Lichun for that year. Because Lichun is an instant, a birth in New York and a birth in Beijing at the same moment get the same year — the calculator does not compare local dates.

The Chinese New Year boundary uses the lunar calendar: the sign changes on the first day of the first lunar month. Both results are shown; classical BaZi practice and the Tai Sui tables use Lichun.

The day pillar shown at the bottom uses true solar time (longitude correction plus the equation of time) and the late-Zi-hour rule you select; it does not affect your zodiac sign.

Frequently asked questions

Which boundary should I use, Lichun or Chinese New Year?: For astrology (BaZi, Tai Sui, annual forecasts) use Lichun — that is the boundary every classical text uses. For festivals and popular usage the lunar New Year is common. If the two disagree for your birthday, the calculator says so explicitly.
Why does the calculator ask for a time and a place?: Lichun happens at an exact minute in Beijing time; for a birth within a day of it, the time zone decides which side you fall on. For everyone else the time and place only affect the day pillar line at the bottom.
I was born in late January. Am I the new animal or the old one?: Almost always the old one by Lichun (which is around 4 February) and it depends on the year by Chinese New Year. Enter the date and the calculator shows both answers with the dates for that specific year.
Does the calculator handle years before 1950?: Yes, from 1900 onwards; time zones before the modern system are taken from the IANA history (local mean time where that applied).