Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
Current year & next Chinese New Year →Chinese calendar 2042: year of the Water Dog
2042 is the year of the Water Dog in the Chinese calendar, from 22 January 2042 to 9 February 2043: 384 days, 13 lunar months, including leap month 2. Born before 22 January 2042? That is still the Metal Rooster year.
Choose “Save as PDF” in your browser’s print destination to keep this calendar.
384 days · Year of the Water Dog
Sexagenary year
Earth controls Water: the year stem is Water, while theDog's fixed phase is Earth.
Length
384 days
Across 13 lunar months.
Leap month
Month 2
29 days in the repeated month.
Beginning of Spring
Twice
立春 falls twice — a double-spring year, 双春年.
Year name explained
Why Water Dog
Earth restrains Water in the Five Phases, so the Dog’s fixed element is understood as moderating the year element.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Water Dog” comes from the year's heavenly stem; it is distinct from the animal's conventional fixed phase. Read the calendar glossary.
The 13 lunar months of 2042
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 2042.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 22 January 2042 | 29 |
| Month 2 | 20 February 2042 | 30 |
| Leap month 2 | 22 March 2042 | 29 |
| Month 3 | 20 April 2042 | 29 |
| Month 4 | 19 May 2042 | 30 |
| Month 5 | 18 June 2042 | 29 |
| Month 6 | 17 July 2042 | 30 |
| Month 7 | 16 August 2042 | 29 |
| Month 8 | 14 September 2042 | 30 |
| Month 9 | 14 October 2042 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 13 November 2042 | 29 |
| Month 11 | 12 December 2042 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 11 January 2043 | 30 |
The solar year within it
25 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.
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 2042 · 01:12:53 UTC+8
- Rain Water雨水18 February 2042 · 21:04:30 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰5 March 2042 · 19:05:50 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分20 March 2042 · 19:53:21 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明4 April 2042 · 23:40:41 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 2042 · 06:39:49 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏5 May 2042 · 16:42:53 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 2042 · 05:31:18 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种5 June 2042 · 20:38:15 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 2042 · 13:15:52 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 2042 · 06:47:18 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 2042 · 00:06:21 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋7 August 2042 · 16:38:50 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 2042 · 07:18:09 UTC+8
- White Dew白露7 September 2042 · 19:45:31 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 2042 · 05:11:34 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 2042 · 11:40:37 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 2042 · 14:49:35 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 2042 · 15:07:41 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 2042 · 12:37:25 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 2042 · 08:09:16 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 2042 · 02:04:06 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒5 January 2043 · 19:25:23 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 2043 · 12:41:38 UTC+8
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 2043 · 06:58:48 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 2042 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 22 January 2042lunar 1/1
- 5 February 2042lunar 1/15
- 22 June 2042lunar 5/5
- 22 August 2042lunar 7/7
- 30 August 2042lunar 7/15
- 28 September 2042lunar 8/15
- 22 October 2042lunar 9/9
- 18 January 2043lunar 12/8
- 9 February 2043lunar 12/30
Gregorian index
Month by month in 2042
Each Gregorian month of 2042, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.