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1988 is the year of the Earth Dragon in the Chinese calendar, from 17 February 1988 to 5 February 1989: 355 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 17 February 1988? That is still the Fire Rabbit year.
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355 days · Year of the Earth Dragon
Sexagenary year
Earth reinforces Earth: the year stem is Earth, while theDragon's fixed phase is Earth.
Length
355 days
Across 12 lunar months.
Leap month
None
The year runs its ordinary twelve months.
Beginning of Spring
Once
立春 falls once, as it usually does.
Year name explained
Why Earth Dragon
Earth is both the year element and the Dragon’s fixed element, so this pairing reinforces Earth.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Earth Dragon” comes from the year's heavenly stem; it is distinct from the animal's conventional fixed phase. Read the calendar glossary.
The 12 lunar months of 1988
A lunar month begins on the day of the new moon, so its Gregorian start date moves every year. These are the exact correspondences for 1988.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 17 February 1988 | 30 |
| Month 2 | 18 March 1988 | 29 |
| Month 3 | 16 April 1988 | 30 |
| Month 4 | 16 May 1988 | 29 |
| Month 5 | 14 June 1988 | 30 |
| Month 6 | 14 July 1988 | 29 |
| Month 7 | 12 August 1988 | 30 |
| Month 8 | 11 September 1988 | 30 |
| Month 9 | 11 October 1988 | 29 |
| Month 10 | 9 November 1988 | 30 |
| Month 11 | 9 December 1988 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 8 January 1989 | 29 |
The solar year within it
24 solar terms
Solar terms track the sun rather than the moon, so they sit at almost the same Gregorian date every year while the lunar months move by weeks. A twelve-month year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year and so holds fewer of them than a thirteen-month one.
- Rain Water雨水19 February 1988 · 18:35:07 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰5 March 1988 · 16:46:32 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分20 March 1988 · 17:38:35 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明4 April 1988 · 21:39:04 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 1988 · 04:44:47 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏5 May 1988 · 15:01:43 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 1988 · 03:56:40 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种5 June 1988 · 19:14:53 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 1988 · 11:56:31 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 1988 · 05:32:54 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑22 July 1988 · 22:51:05 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋7 August 1988 · 15:20:15 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 1988 · 05:54:00 UTC+8
- White Dew白露7 September 1988 · 18:11:31 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 1988 · 03:28:50 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 1988 · 09:44:30 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 1988 · 12:44:06 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 1988 · 12:48:55 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 1988 · 10:11:59 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 1988 · 05:34:28 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至21 December 1988 · 23:27:53 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒5 January 1989 · 16:45:55 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 1989 · 10:06:59 UTC+8
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 1989 · 04:27:09 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 1988 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 17 February 1988lunar 1/1
- 2 March 1988lunar 1/15
- 18 June 1988lunar 5/5
- 18 August 1988lunar 7/7
- 26 August 1988lunar 7/15
- 25 September 1988lunar 8/15
- 19 October 1988lunar 9/9
- 15 January 1989lunar 12/8
- 5 February 1989lunar 12/29
Gregorian index
Month by month in 1988
Each Gregorian month of 1988, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.