Chinese New Year
29 January 1949Ox from this lunar-calendar boundary.
Ji Chou · 己丑
1949: Year of the Earth Ox
1949 is the year of the Earth Ox, from 29 Jan 1949 – 16 Feb 1950. A 1949 birth before 29 Jan 1949 belongs to the previous Earth Rat year.
- Animal
- Ox 牛 The earthly branch—the second Gan-Zhi character—supplies the year's animal.
- Animal fixed element
- Earth The Ox branch keeps this element in every Ox year.
- Gan-Zhi · what is this?
- Ji Chou 己丑 A heavenly stem plus an earthly branch: the traditional two-character year name.
- Na Yin · what is this?
- 霹雳火 · Fire A separate named classification for a two-year Gan-Zhi pair.
- Age reached in 2026
- Born in 1949, a person turns 77 in 2026 Age attained in Gregorian 2026; the birthday sets the exact day.
The year's complete signature
What is specific to 1949
The Earth year stem and the Ox's fixed Earth branch are different coordinates. Their element dynamic is Earth meets Earth. Both positions carry Earth, so the element repeats rather than generating or controlling another element.
The complete 己丑 pillar carries Na Yin 霹雳火, a Fire classification.
- Stem–branch element dynamic
- Earth meets Earth
- Lunar leap month
- Leap month 7
- Li Chun · Start of Spring
- 4 February 1949 at 11:22 UTC+8
- Clashing animal
- Goat 羊
- Ben ming nian
- Own animal year for people born under Ox
One year, two boundary conventions
Chinese New Year and Li Chun in 1949
Li Chun 立春
4 February 1949 at 11:22 China Standard Time (UTC+8)Ox from this solar-term boundary.
Between the two boundaries, Chinese New Year assigns Ox; Li Chun assigns Rat. On 4 February 1949, the solar answer changes at 4 February 1949 at 11:22 UTC+8.
The moving New Year boundary
Born early in 1949? You may be Rat, not Ox
Chinese New Year 1949 fell on 29 January 1949. Anyone born between 1 January 1949 and 28 January 1949 — a window of 28 days — belongs to the 1948 zodiac year, the Yang Earth Rat, and not to the Ox.
Check an exact birth date against the 29 January 1949 boundary.
Exact 1949 zodiac year dates
The 1949 lunar year carried leap month 7, stretching it to 384 days.
- Zodiac year beginsThe Chinese New Year boundary used for this site's animal sign.
- 29 January 1949
- Zodiac year endsThe day before the next Chinese New Year begins a new animal year.
- 16 February 1950
- Complete year namePolarity, year-stem element, and animal read together.
- Yin Earth OxOpen this year type →
- Day the year beganThe weekday on which this year's Chinese New Year fell.
- Saturday
- Lunar-year lengthLeap months occasionally add a thirteenth lunar month.
- 384 days · leap month 7 · thirteen lunar months
- Previous zodiac yearThe animal year immediately before this boundary.
- 1948 · Yang Earth RatOpen the previous record →
- Next zodiac yearThe animal year that starts at the following Chinese New Year.
- 1950 · Yang Metal TigerOpen the next record →
The Gregorian year's solar clock
All 24 solar terms in Gregorian 1949
These are the calculated seasonal markers from January through December1949, shown in China Standard Time (UTC+8). Jie terms open solar months; qi terms fall between them.
春SpringWood season · six markers
The Tiger, Rabbit, and Dragon branch months form the spring meeting. Start of Spring opens it; the Spring Equinox is its midpoint.
Start of Spring 立春
Jie · month openingOpens traditional spring and the Tiger solar month. Four Pillars calendars also use this instant as their change of astrological year.
Rain Water 雨水
Qi · month midpointNames the early-spring turn toward rain and moisture. It is the Qi midpoint of the Tiger solar month.
Awakening of Insects 惊蛰
Jie · month openingEvokes hibernating life stirring as spring advances. This Jie opens the Rabbit solar month.
Spring Equinox 春分
Qi · month midpointThe equinox at the middle of traditional spring, when day and night are close to equal in length.
Pure Brightness 清明
Jie · month openingNames the clear, bright interval of later spring. This Jie opens the Dragon solar month and also names the Qingming observance.
Grain Rain 谷雨
Qi · month midpointThe final spring term, named for rains associated with the growth of grain. It is the Qi midpoint of Dragon month.
夏SummerFire season · six markers
The Snake, Horse, and Goat branch months form the summer meeting. Start of Summer opens it; the Summer Solstice is its midpoint.
Start of Summer 立夏
Jie · month openingOpens traditional summer and the Snake solar month, before the June solstice rather than on it.
Grain Buds 小满
Qi · month midpointDescribes grain beginning to fill without yet being fully ripe. It is the Qi midpoint of Snake month.
Grain in Ear 芒种
Jie · month openingNames the time of awned grains in the seasonal sequence. This Jie opens the Horse solar month.
Summer Solstice 夏至
Qi · month midpointThe June solstice and midpoint of traditional summer, with the longest daylight of the Northern Hemisphere year.
Minor Heat 小暑
Jie · month openingIntroduces the hotter part of the traditional calendar. This Jie opens the Goat solar month.
Major Heat 大暑
Qi · month midpointThe closing term of traditional summer, named for the season's strongest heat and placed at the midpoint of Goat month.
秋AutumnMetal season · six markers
The Monkey, Rooster, and Dog branch months form the autumn meeting. Start of Autumn opens it; the Autumn Equinox is its midpoint.
Start of Autumn 立秋
Jie · month openingOpens traditional autumn and the Monkey solar month, well before the September equinox.
End of Heat 处暑
Qi · month midpointIts name marks summer heat beginning to withdraw. It is the Qi midpoint of Monkey month.
White Dew 白露
Jie · month openingEvokes the more visible dew of cooler early-autumn nights. This Jie opens the Rooster solar month.
Autumn Equinox 秋分
Qi · month midpointThe equinox at the middle of traditional autumn, when day and night are close to equal in length.
Cold Dew 寒露
Jie · month openingNames the deepening chill signalled by cold dew. This Jie opens the Dog solar month.
Frost Descent 霜降
Qi · month midpointThe final autumn term, named for the arrival of frost in the traditional seasonal vocabulary and placed at the midpoint of Dog month.
冬WinterWater season · six markers
The Pig, Rat, and Ox branch months form the winter meeting. Start of Winter opens it; the Winter Solstice is its midpoint. In a Gregorian-year record, its January terms appear before the four markers in November and December.
Minor Cold 小寒
Jie · month openingBegins the final solar month of winter. This Jie opens the Ox month near the start of January.
Major Cold 大寒
Qi · month midpointThe twenty-fourth term closes the traditional winter sequence before Start of Spring begins it again.
Start of Winter 立冬
Jie · month openingOpens traditional winter and the Pig solar month, before the December solstice rather than on it.
Minor Snow 小雪
Qi · month midpointIntroduces snow imagery into the winter sequence. It is the Qi midpoint of Pig month, not a promise of local snowfall.
Major Snow 大雪
Jie · month openingNames a deeper-cold stage in the traditional calendar. This Jie opens the Rat solar month.
Winter Solstice 冬至
Qi · month midpointThe December solstice and midpoint of traditional winter, with the shortest daylight of the Northern Hemisphere year.
The repeating earthly branch
Follow Ox years through the cycle
The Ox branch repeats every twelve years. Across five returns, the year stem moves through all five elements; the exact Yin Earth Ox signature comes back after sixty years.
12Years between Ox returns
5Elements across five returns
60Years to the same signature
1901–1949Selected pass · 5 Ox returns
Each point is twelve years apart. Element names describe the changing heavenly stem; the animal branch remains Ox. Open a year or complete name for its full record.
The exact pairing 己丑 — Yin Earth Ox — returns only once every sixty years: 2009, 2069. Open the complete Ox year history →