1940 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Dragon
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dragon 龙
Element
Yang Metal
Stem-branch
庚辰 Geng-Chen
Zodiac year
Feb 8, 1940 to Jan 26, 1941
The 1940 Year of the Yang Metal Dragon (庚辰) began on Thursday, February 8, 1940, and lasted until January 26, 1941. Births from January 1 to February 7, 1940, the first 38 days of 1940, belonged to the Earth Rabbit year. It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains no Start of Spring term at all, which folk custom calls a "blind year".
Which animal for a 1940 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 07:07 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 5, 1940, before 07:07 | Earth Rabbit | Earth Rabbit |
| Feb 5, 1940, from 07:07, to Feb 7 | Earth Rabbit | Metal Dragon |
| Feb 8 to Dec 31, 1940 | Metal Dragon | Metal Dragon |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1940 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Earth Rabbit (1939)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Metal Dragon (1940)
Chinese New Year 1940: 1940-02-08. Lichun 1940: 1940-02-05 07:07 Beijing time. The New Year rule compares your birth date with the New Year date; the Lichun rule compares the exact moment, converted from your local time.
Lichun 1940 in other time zones
The same moment in local time. Under the Lichun rule, a birth at or after this local time takes the new animal.
Lichun 1940 was 07:07 Beijing time on February 5, 1940. In New York that was 18:07 on February 4, 1940, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 4 at or after 18:07 is a Metal Dragon under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1940 | 07:07 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 5, 1940 | 07:07 |
| Taipei | Feb 5, 1940 | 08:07 |
| Singapore | Feb 5, 1940 | 06:27 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1940 | 08:07 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1940 | 08:07 |
| London | Feb 4, 1940(day before) | 23:07 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1940(day before) | 18:07 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1940(day before) | 15:07 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1940 | 09:07 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1940, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1940 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 8, 1940 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 22, 1940 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1940 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 10, 1940 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 10, 1940 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 18, 1940 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 16, 1940 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 9, 1940 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1940 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 5, 1941 |
The Dragon and 庚辰 in the calendar
The Dragon is the Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen); it also marks the double hour from 7 am to 9 am, the direction East-southeast and the fixed element Earth. 1940's own element, Metal, comes from the Heavenly Stem 庚. All Years of the Dragon.
庚辰 is the 17th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 2000 and 2060 (see the Year of the Dragon table).
Lunar months of the 1940 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 8, 1940 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 9, 1940 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 8, 1940 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 7, 1940 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 6, 1940 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 5, 1940 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 4, 1940 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 2, 1940 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 1, 1940 | 30 |
| 10th month | Oct 31, 1940 | 29 |
| 11th month | Nov 29, 1940 | 30 |
| 12th month | Dec 29, 1940 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1940
Beijing time. The 12 terms marked with a month begin the solar months that the Four Pillars use; Lichun opens the year. What each term means.
| Solar term | Date | Time | Four Pillars month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold 小寒 Xiaohan | Jan 6 | 19:23 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 12:44 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 5 | 07:07 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 20 | 03:03 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 01:23 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 02:23 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 06:34 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 13:50 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 00:16 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 13:23 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 04:44 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 21:36 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 15:08 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 08:34 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 00:51 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 15:28 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 03:29 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 12:45 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 18:42 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 21:39 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 21:26 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 18:48 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 13:57 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 07:54 |
Dates are checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; times are calculated. A dash means the term falls within minutes of midnight, where the calculated time and the Observatory's date disagree; the Observatory's date is shown.
FAQ
What Chinese zodiac sign is someone born in January or February 1940?
The Year of the Dragon began on February 8, 1940. Anyone born from January 1 to February 7, 1940 belongs to the previous year, the Earth Rabbit (己卯); anyone born on or after February 8, 1940 is a Metal Dragon. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dragon year began at 07:07 China Standard Time on February 5, 1940 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1940 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Monday, September 16, 1940. The next one, on October 5, 1941, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1940 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1940 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1940 in the Chinese zodiac?
1940 is a Yang Metal year: its Heavenly Stem 庚 (Geng) carries Metal, and its Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen) is the Dragon. Together they make 庚辰, the 17th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1940?
Lichun came first, on February 5, 1940 at 07:07. Births from then until February 7, 1940 are an Earth Rabbit under the popular New Year rule but a Metal Dragon under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule.
Nearby years
Dates are calculated with astronomical algorithms in China Standard Time (UTC+8) and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table. Zodiac information describes the traditional calendar and is not a prediction.