1988 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Dragon
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dragon 龙
Element
Yang Earth
Stem-branch
戊辰 Wu-Chen
Zodiac year
Feb 17, 1988 to Feb 5, 1989
The 1988 Year of the Yang Earth Dragon (戊辰) began on Wednesday, February 17, 1988, and lasted until February 5, 1989. Births from January 1 to February 16, 1988, the first 47 days of 1988, belonged to the Fire Rabbit year. It has 12 lunar months and 355 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 1989).
Which animal for a 1988 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 22:42 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1988, before 22:42 | Fire Rabbit | Fire Rabbit |
| Feb 4, 1988, from 22:42, to Feb 16 | Fire Rabbit | Earth Dragon |
| Feb 17 to Dec 31, 1988 | Earth Dragon | Earth Dragon |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1988 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Rabbit (1987)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Rabbit (1987)
Chinese New Year 1988: 1988-02-17. Lichun 1988: 1988-02-04 22:42 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 1988 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 1988 was 22:42 Beijing time on February 4, 1988. In New York that was 09:42 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1988 | 22:42 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1988 | 22:42 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1988 | 22:42 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1988 | 22:42 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1988 | 23:42 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1988 | 23:42 |
| London | Feb 4, 1988 | 14:42 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1988 | 09:42 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1988 | 06:42 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1988 | 01:42 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1988, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1988 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 17, 1988 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 2, 1988 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 1988 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 18, 1988 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 18, 1988 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 26, 1988 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 25, 1988 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 19, 1988 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 1988 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 15, 1989 |
The Dragon and 戊辰 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. 1988's own element, Earth, comes from the Heavenly Stem 戊. All Years of the Dragon.
戊辰 is the 5th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1928 and 2048 (see the Year of the Dragon table).
Lunar months of the 1988 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 17, 1988 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 18, 1988 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 16, 1988 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 16, 1988 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 14, 1988 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 14, 1988 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 12, 1988 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 11, 1988 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 11, 1988 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 9, 1988 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 9, 1988 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 8, 1989 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1988
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 | 11:03 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 04:24 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 22:42 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 18:35 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 16:46 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 17:38 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 21:39 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 04:44 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 15:01 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 03:56 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 19:14 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 11:56 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 05:32 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 22:51 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 15:20 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 05:54 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 18:11 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 03:28 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 09:44 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 12:44 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 12:48 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 10:11 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 05:34 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 23:27 |
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 1988?
The Year of the Dragon began on February 17, 1988. Anyone born from January 1 to February 16, 1988 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Rabbit (丁卯); anyone born on or after February 17, 1988 is an Earth Dragon. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dragon year began at 22:42 China Standard Time on February 4, 1988 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1988 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Sunday, September 25, 1988. The next one, on September 14, 1989, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1988 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1988 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1988 in the Chinese zodiac?
1988 is a Yang Earth year: its Heavenly Stem 戊 (Wu) carries Earth, and its Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen) is the Dragon. Together they make 戊辰, the 5th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1988?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1988 at 22:42. Births from then until February 16, 1988 are a Fire Rabbit under the popular New Year rule but an Earth 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.