1994 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Dog
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dog 狗
Element
Yang Wood
Stem-branch
甲戌 Jia-Xu
Zodiac year
Feb 10, 1994 to Jan 30, 1995
The 1994 Year of the Yang Wood Dog (甲戌) began on Thursday, February 10, 1994, and lasted until January 30, 1995. Births from January 1 to February 9, 1994, the first 40 days of 1994, belonged to the Water Rooster year. It has 12 lunar months and 355 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 1994 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 09:30 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1994, before 09:30 | Water Rooster | Water Rooster |
| Feb 4, 1994, from 09:30, to Feb 9 | Water Rooster | Wood Dog |
| Feb 10 to Dec 31, 1994 | Wood Dog | Wood Dog |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1994 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Water Rooster (1993)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Wood Dog (1994)
Chinese New Year 1994: 1994-02-10. Lichun 1994: 1994-02-04 09:30 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 1994 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 1994 was 09:30 Beijing time on February 4, 1994. In New York that was 20:30 on February 3, 1994, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 20:30 is a Wood Dog under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1994 | 09:30 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1994 | 09:30 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1994 | 09:30 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1994 | 09:30 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1994 | 10:30 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1994 | 10:30 |
| London | Feb 4, 1994 | 01:30 |
| New York | Feb 3, 1994(day before) | 20:30 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 1994(day before) | 17:30 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1994 | 12:30 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1994, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1994 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 10, 1994 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 24, 1994 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1994 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 13, 1994 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 13, 1994 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 21, 1994 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 20, 1994 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 13, 1994 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1994 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 8, 1995 |
The Dog and 甲戌 in the calendar
The Dog is the Earthly Branch 戌 (Xu); it also marks the double hour from 7 pm to 9 pm, the direction West-northwest and the fixed element Earth. 1994's own element, Wood, comes from the Heavenly Stem 甲. All Years of the Dog.
甲戌 is the 11th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1934 and 2054 (see the Year of the Dog table).
Lunar months of the 1994 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 10, 1994 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 12, 1994 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 11, 1994 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 11, 1994 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 9, 1994 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 9, 1994 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 7, 1994 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 6, 1994 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 5, 1994 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 3, 1994 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 3, 1994 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 1, 1995 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1994
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 5 | 21:48 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 15:07 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 09:30 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 05:21 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 03:37 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 04:28 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 08:31 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 15:36 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 01:54 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 14:48 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 06:04 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 22:47 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 16:19 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 09:41 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 02:04 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 16:43 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 04:55 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 14:19 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 20:29 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 23:36 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 23:35 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 21:05 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 16:22 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 10:22 |
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 1994?
The Year of the Dog began on February 10, 1994. Anyone born from January 1 to February 9, 1994 belongs to the previous year, the Water Rooster (癸酉); anyone born on or after February 10, 1994 is a Wood Dog. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dog year began at 09:30 China Standard Time on February 4, 1994 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1994 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Tuesday, September 20, 1994. The next one, on September 9, 1995, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1994 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1994 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1994 in the Chinese zodiac?
1994 is a Yang Wood year: its Heavenly Stem 甲 (Jia) carries Wood, and its Earthly Branch 戌 (Xu) is the Dog. Together they make 甲戌, the 11th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1994?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1994 at 09:30. Births from then until February 9, 1994 are a Water Rooster under the popular New Year rule but a Wood Dog 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.