2000 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 5, 2000 to Jan 23, 2001
The 2000 Year of the Yang Metal Dragon (庚辰) began on Saturday, February 5, 2000, and lasted until January 23, 2001. Births from January 1 to February 4, 2000, the first 35 days of 2000, 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 2000 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 20:40 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 2000, before 20:40 | Earth Rabbit | Earth Rabbit |
| Feb 4, 2000, from 20:40 | Earth Rabbit | Metal Dragon |
| Feb 5 to Dec 31, 2000 | Metal Dragon | Metal Dragon |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2000 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Earth Rabbit (1999)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Earth Rabbit (1999)
Chinese New Year 2000: 2000-02-05. Lichun 2000: 2000-02-04 20:40 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 2000 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 2000 was 20:40 Beijing time on February 4, 2000. In New York that was 07:40 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2000 | 20:40 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2000 | 20:40 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2000 | 20:40 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2000 | 20:40 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2000 | 21:40 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2000 | 21:40 |
| London | Feb 4, 2000 | 12:40 |
| New York | Feb 4, 2000 | 07:40 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 2000 | 04:40 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2000 | 23:40 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2000, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2000 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 5, 2000 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 19, 2000 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 2000 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 6, 2000 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 6, 2000 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 14, 2000 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 12, 2000 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 6, 2000 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 2000 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 2, 2001 |
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. 2000'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 1940 and 2060 (see the Year of the Dragon table).
Lunar months of the 2000 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 5, 2000 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 6, 2000 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 5, 2000 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 4, 2000 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 2, 2000 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 2, 2000 | 29 |
| 7th month | Jul 31, 2000 | 29 |
| 8th month | Aug 29, 2000 | 30 |
| 9th month | Sep 28, 2000 | 29 |
| 10th month | Oct 27, 2000 | 30 |
| 11th month | Nov 26, 2000 | 30 |
| 12th month | Dec 26, 2000 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 2000
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 | 09:00 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 02:23 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 20:40 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 16:33 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 14:42 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 15:35 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 19:31 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 02:39 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 12:50 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 01:49 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 16:58 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 09:47 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 03:13 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 20:42 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 13:02 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 03:48 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 15:59 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 01:27 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 07:38 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 10:47 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 10:48 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 08:19 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 03:37 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 21:37 |
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 2000?
The Year of the Dragon began on February 5, 2000. Anyone born from January 1 to February 4, 2000 belongs to the previous year, the Earth Rabbit (己卯); anyone born on or after February 5, 2000 is a Metal Dragon. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dragon year began at 20:40 China Standard Time on February 4, 2000 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2000 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Tuesday, September 12, 2000. The next one, on October 1, 2001, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2000 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2000 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2000 in the Chinese zodiac?
2000 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 2000?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 2000 at 20:40. Births from then until February 4, 2000 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.