The year pillar · 年柱
The calendar-year label on this site changes at Chinese New Year. For 2026-09-12, it is Yang Fire Horse · 丙午. The animal comes from the branch; the stem supplies the named element.
Some Four Pillars readings use Li Chun for the year boundary instead. Near New Year, those conventions can name different years.
Find Chinese New Year boundaries →The month pillar · 月柱
The seasonal month follows the twelve month-opening jie terms, not the numbered lunar months. Today’s month pillar is Yin Fire Rooster · 丁酉.
Daily almanac entries here switch at midnight on the jie date. The solar-term guides separately show the precise astronomical instant. A leap lunar month does not add a thirteenth branch month.
See the twelve seasonal boundaries →The day pillar · 日柱
Today is 己丑, Yin Earth Ox. Tomorrow advances both signs by one place; the same pair returns sixty days later. Daily pages use the civil-midnight date.
Its animal is a day label, independent of the year animal. The pair does not reset at a new lunar month or a new year.
Read the full day almanac →Ten signs · five paired phases
The stem supplies the element
Each of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water has a Yang and Yin stem. In “Yin Earth Ox”, 己 names Yin Earth.
甲 Jiǎ
Yang Wood
Next Jiǎ day →乙 Yǐ
Yin Wood
Next Yǐ day →丙 Bǐng
Yang Fire
Next Bǐng day →丁 Dīng
Yin Fire
Next Dīng day →戊 Wù
Yang Earth
Next Wù day →己 Jǐ
Yin Earth
Next Jǐ day →庚 Gēng
Yang Metal
Next Gēng day →辛 Xīn
Yin Metal
Next Xīn day →壬 Rén
Yang Water
Next Rén day →癸 Guǐ
Yin Water
Next Guǐ day →Twelve branches · twelve animals
The branch supplies the animal
An animal name can refer to a year or a day. Branches also label seasonal months. Their own fixed phase is a separate correspondence from the pillar’s stem element.
Branch 1 · Yang
子 Rat
Fixed branch phase: Water. Its seasonal month opens at Major Snow.
Opposite branch: Horse.
Next Rat day: 23 September 2026 →Branch 2 · Yin
丑 Ox
Fixed branch phase: Earth. Its seasonal month opens at Minor Cold.
Opposite branch: Goat.
Next Ox day: 12 September 2026 →Branch 3 · Yang
寅 Tiger
Fixed branch phase: Wood. Its seasonal month opens at Beginning of Spring.
Opposite branch: Monkey.
Next Tiger day: 13 September 2026 →Branch 4 · Yin
卯 Rabbit
Fixed branch phase: Wood. Its seasonal month opens at Awakening of Insects.
Opposite branch: Rooster.
Next Rabbit day: 14 September 2026 →Branch 5 · Yang
辰 Dragon
Fixed branch phase: Earth. Its seasonal month opens at Pure Brightness.
Opposite branch: Dog.
Next Dragon day: 15 September 2026 →Branch 6 · Yin
巳 Snake
Fixed branch phase: Fire. Its seasonal month opens at Beginning of Summer.
Opposite branch: Pig.
Next Snake day: 16 September 2026 →Branch 7 · Yang
午 Horse
Fixed branch phase: Fire. Its seasonal month opens at Grain in Ear.
Opposite branch: Rat.
Next Horse day: 17 September 2026 →Branch 8 · Yin
未 Goat
Fixed branch phase: Earth. Its seasonal month opens at Minor Heat.
Opposite branch: Ox.
Next Goat day: 18 September 2026 →Branch 9 · Yang
申 Monkey
Fixed branch phase: Metal. Its seasonal month opens at Beginning of Autumn.
Opposite branch: Tiger.
Next Monkey day: 19 September 2026 →Branch 10 · Yin
酉 Rooster
Fixed branch phase: Metal. Its seasonal month opens at White Dew.
Opposite branch: Rabbit.
Next Rooster day: 20 September 2026 →Branch 11 · Yang
戌 Dog
Fixed branch phase: Earth. Its seasonal month opens at Cold Dew.
Opposite branch: Dragon.
Next Dog day: 21 September 2026 →Branch 12 · Yin
亥 Pig
Fixed branch phase: Water. Its seasonal month opens at Beginning of Winter.
Opposite branch: Snake.
Next Pig day: 22 September 2026 →A third correspondence · 纳音
Why a Wood day can carry a Water sound
Na Yin assigns a named image and phase to each pair of adjacent stem–branch positions. Thirty names cover the sixty pairs. This layer does not replace the stem’s element or the branch’s fixed phase.
For example, 7 September 2026 is 甲申, Yang Wood Monkey. Its stem is Wood; its Monkey branch has fixed Metal; its Na Yin is 泉中水, Spring Water. All three labels can appear together because they answer different questions.
A complete turn of the day cycle
Follow the next 60 real dates
The stem repeats every ten days and the branch every twelve. Their shared parity produces sixty valid pairs. Open a date to see its lunar date, activities, mansion and observances.
- +0 days己丑 Yin Earth Ox
- +1 days庚寅 Yang Metal Tiger
- +2 days辛卯 Yin Metal Rabbit
- +3 days壬辰 Yang Water Dragon
- +4 days癸巳 Yin Water Snake
- +5 days甲午 Yang Wood Horse
- +6 days乙未 Yin Wood Goat
- +7 days丙申 Yang Fire Monkey
- +8 days丁酉 Yin Fire Rooster
- +9 days戊戌 Yang Earth Dog
- +10 days己亥 Yin Earth Pig
- +11 days庚子 Yang Metal Rat
- +12 days辛丑 Yin Metal Ox
- +13 days壬寅 Yang Water Tiger
- +14 days癸卯 Yin Water Rabbit
- +15 days甲辰 Yang Wood Dragon
- +16 days乙巳 Yin Wood Snake
- +17 days丙午 Yang Fire Horse
- +18 days丁未 Yin Fire Goat
- +19 days戊申 Yang Earth Monkey
- +20 days己酉 Yin Earth Rooster
- +21 days庚戌 Yang Metal Dog
- +22 days辛亥 Yin Metal Pig
- +23 days壬子 Yang Water Rat
- +24 days癸丑 Yin Water Ox
- +25 days甲寅 Yang Wood Tiger
- +26 days乙卯 Yin Wood Rabbit
- +27 days丙辰 Yang Fire Dragon
- +28 days丁巳 Yin Fire Snake
- +29 days戊午 Yang Earth Horse
- +30 days己未 Yin Earth Goat
- +31 days庚申 Yang Metal Monkey
- +32 days辛酉 Yin Metal Rooster
- +33 days壬戌 Yang Water Dog
- +34 days癸亥 Yin Water Pig
- +35 days甲子 Yang Wood Rat
- +36 days乙丑 Yin Wood Ox
- +37 days丙寅 Yang Fire Tiger
- +38 days丁卯 Yin Fire Rabbit
- +39 days戊辰 Yang Earth Dragon
- +40 days己巳 Yin Earth Snake
- +41 days庚午 Yang Metal Horse
- +42 days辛未 Yin Metal Goat
- +43 days壬申 Yang Water Monkey
- +44 days癸酉 Yin Water Rooster
- +45 days甲戌 Yang Wood Dog
- +46 days乙亥 Yin Wood Pig
- +47 days丙子 Yang Fire Rat
- +48 days丁丑 Yin Fire Ox
- +49 days戊寅 Yang Earth Tiger
- +50 days己卯 Yin Earth Rabbit
- +51 days庚辰 Yang Metal Dragon
- +52 days辛巳 Yin Metal Snake
- +53 days壬午 Yang Water Horse
- +54 days癸未 Yin Water Goat
- +55 days甲申 Yang Wood Monkey
- +56 days乙酉 Yin Wood Rooster
- +57 days丙戌 Yang Fire Dog
- +58 days丁亥 Yin Fire Pig
- +59 days戊子 Yang Earth Rat