Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
Current year & next Chinese New Year →Chinese calendar 2018: year of the Earth Dog
2018 is the year of the Earth Dog in the Chinese calendar, from 16 February 2018 to 4 February 2019: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 16 February 2018? That is still the Fire Rooster year.
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354 days · Year of the Earth Dog
Sexagenary year
Earth reinforces Earth: the year stem is Earth, while theDog's fixed phase is Earth.
Length
354 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 Dog
Earth is both the year element and the Dog’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 Dog” 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 2018
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 2018.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 16 February 2018 | 29 |
| Month 2 | 17 March 2018 | 30 |
| Month 3 | 16 April 2018 | 29 |
| Month 4 | 15 May 2018 | 30 |
| Month 5 | 14 June 2018 | 29 |
| Month 6 | 13 July 2018 | 29 |
| Month 7 | 11 August 2018 | 30 |
| Month 8 | 10 September 2018 | 29 |
| Month 9 | 9 October 2018 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 8 November 2018 | 29 |
| Month 11 | 7 December 2018 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 6 January 2019 | 30 |
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 2018 · 01:18:01 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰5 March 2018 · 23:28:11 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分21 March 2018 · 00:15:28 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 2018 · 04:12:47 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 2018 · 11:12:33 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏5 May 2018 · 21:25:22 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 2018 · 10:14:38 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 2018 · 01:29:09 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 2018 · 18:07:18 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 2018 · 11:41:53 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 2018 · 05:00:21 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋7 August 2018 · 21:30:40 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 2018 · 12:08:35 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 2018 · 00:29:42 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 2018 · 09:54:07 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 2018 · 16:14:43 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 2018 · 19:22:24 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 2018 · 19:31:45 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 2018 · 17:01:30 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 2018 · 12:25:55 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 2018 · 06:22:45 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒5 January 2019 · 23:38:58 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 2019 · 16:59:34 UTC+8
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 2019 · 11:14:21 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 2018 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 16 February 2018lunar 1/1
- 2 March 2018lunar 1/15
- 18 June 2018lunar 5/5
- 17 August 2018lunar 7/7
- 25 August 2018lunar 7/15
- 24 September 2018lunar 8/15
- 17 October 2018lunar 9/9
- 13 January 2019lunar 12/8
- 4 February 2019lunar 12/30
Gregorian index
Month by month in 2018
Each Gregorian month of 2018, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.