1948 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Rat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Rat 鼠
Element
Yang Earth
Stem-branch
戊子 Wu-Zi
Zodiac year
Feb 10, 1948 to Jan 28, 1949
The 1948 Year of the Yang Earth Rat (戊子) began on Tuesday, February 10, 1948, and lasted until January 28, 1949. Births from January 1 to February 9, 1948, the first 40 days of 1948, belonged to the Fire Pig 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 1948 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 05:42 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 5, 1948, before 05:42 | Fire Pig | Fire Pig |
| Feb 5, 1948, from 05:42, to Feb 9 | Fire Pig | Earth Rat |
| Feb 10 to Dec 31, 1948 | Earth Rat | Earth Rat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1948 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Pig (1947)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Earth Rat (1948)
Chinese New Year 1948: 1948-02-10. Lichun 1948: 1948-02-05 05:42 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 1948 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 1948 was 05:42 Beijing time on February 5, 1948. In New York that was 16:42 on February 4, 1948, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 4 at or after 16:42 is an Earth Rat under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1948 | 05:42 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 5, 1948 | 05:42 |
| Taipei | Feb 5, 1948 | 05:42 |
| Singapore | Feb 5, 1948 | 05:12 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1948 | 06:42 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1948 | 06:42 |
| London | Feb 4, 1948(day before) | 21:42 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1948(day before) | 16:42 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1948(day before) | 13:42 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1948 | 07:42 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1948, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1948 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 10, 1948 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 24, 1948 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1948 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 11, 1948 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 11, 1948 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 19, 1948 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 17, 1948 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 11, 1948 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1948 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 6, 1949 |
The Rat and 戊子 in the calendar
The Rat is the Earthly Branch 子 (Zi); it also marks the double hour from 11 pm to 1 am, the direction North and the fixed element Water. 1948's own element, Earth, comes from the Heavenly Stem 戊. All Years of the Rat.
戊子 is the 25th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 2008 and 2068 (see the Year of the Rat table).
Lunar months of the 1948 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 10, 1948 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 11, 1948 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 9, 1948 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 9, 1948 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 7, 1948 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 7, 1948 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 5, 1948 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 3, 1948 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 3, 1948 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 1, 1948 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 1, 1948 | 29 |
| 12th month | Dec 30, 1948 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1948
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 | 18:00 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 11:18 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 5 | 05:42 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 20 | 01:36 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 23:57 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 00:56 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 05:09 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 12:24 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 22:52 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 11:57 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 03:20 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 20:10 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 13:43 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 07:07 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 23:26 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 14:02 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 02:04 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 11:21 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 17:20 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 20:17 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 20:06 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 17:28 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 12:37 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 06:33 |
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 1948?
The Year of the Rat began on February 10, 1948. Anyone born from January 1 to February 9, 1948 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Pig (丁亥); anyone born on or after February 10, 1948 is an Earth Rat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Rat year began at 05:42 China Standard Time on February 5, 1948 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1948 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Friday, September 17, 1948. The next one, on October 6, 1949, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1948 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1948 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1948 in the Chinese zodiac?
1948 is a Yang Earth year: its Heavenly Stem 戊 (Wu) carries Earth, and its Earthly Branch 子 (Zi) is the Rat. Together they make 戊子, the 25th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1948?
Lichun came first, on February 5, 1948 at 05:42. Births from then until February 9, 1948 are a Fire Pig under the popular New Year rule but an Earth Rat 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.