1984 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Rat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Rat 鼠
Element
Yang Wood
Stem-branch
甲子 Jia-Zi
Zodiac year
Feb 2, 1984 to Feb 19, 1985
The 1984 Year of the Yang Wood Rat (甲子) began on Thursday, February 2, 1984, and lasted until February 19, 1985. Births from January 1 to February 1, 1984, the first 32 days of 1984, belonged to the Water Pig year. The lunar year has a leap 10th month, starting Nov 23, 1984, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 1984 and Feb 4, 1985), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 1984 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 23:18 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 1, 1984 | Water Pig | Water Pig |
| Feb 2 to Feb 4, 1984, before 23:18 | Wood Rat | Water Pig |
| Feb 4, 1984, from 23:18, to Dec 31 | Wood Rat | Wood Rat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1984 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Rat (1984)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Water Pig (1983)
Chinese New Year 1984: 1984-02-02. Lichun 1984: 1984-02-04 23:18 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 1984 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 1984 was 23:18 Beijing time on February 4, 1984. In New York that was 10:18 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1984 | 23:18 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1984 | 23:18 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1984 | 23:18 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1984 | 23:18 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1984 | 00:18 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1984 | 00:18 |
| London | Feb 4, 1984 | 15:18 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1984 | 10:18 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1984 | 07:18 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1984 | 02:18 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1984, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1984 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 2, 1984 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 16, 1984 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 1984 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 4, 1984 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 3, 1984 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 11, 1984 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 10, 1984 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 3, 1984 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1984 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 28, 1985 |
The Rat and 甲子 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. 1984's own element, Wood, comes from the Heavenly Stem 甲. All Years of the Rat.
甲子 is the 1st year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1924 and 2044 (see the Year of the Rat table).
Lunar months of the 1984 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 10th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 2, 1984 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 3, 1984 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 1, 1984 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 1, 1984 | 30 |
| 5th month | May 31, 1984 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jun 29, 1984 | 29 |
| 7th month | Jul 28, 1984 | 30 |
| 8th month | Aug 27, 1984 | 29 |
| 9th month | Sep 25, 1984 | 29 |
| 10th month | Oct 24, 1984 | 30 |
| Leap 10th month | Nov 23, 1984 | 29 |
| 11th month | Dec 22, 1984 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 21, 1985 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1984
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 | 11:40 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 05:05 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 23:18 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 19:16 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 17:24 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 18:24 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 22:22 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 05:38 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 15:50 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 04:57 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 20:08 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 13:02 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 06:29 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 23:58 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 16:17 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 07:00 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 19:09 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 04:32 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 10:42 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 13:45 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 13:45 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 11:10 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 06:28 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 00:22 |
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 1984?
The Year of the Rat began on February 2, 1984. Anyone born from January 1 to February 1, 1984 belongs to the previous year, the Water Pig (癸亥); anyone born on or after February 2, 1984 is a Wood Rat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Rat year began at 23:18 China Standard Time on February 4, 1984 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1984 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Monday, September 10, 1984. The next one, on September 29, 1985, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1984 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 10th month followed the regular 10th month, starting November 23, 1984 and lasting 29 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 1984 in the Chinese zodiac?
1984 is a Yang Wood year: its Heavenly Stem 甲 (Jia) carries Wood, and its Earthly Branch 子 (Zi) is the Rat. Together they make 甲子, the 1st year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1984?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from February 2, 1984 until Lichun (February 4, 1984 at 23:18) are a Wood Rat under the popular New Year rule but a Water Pig 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.