2004 — Year of the Monkey 猴 甲申
2004 is the year of the Monkey 猴 — year pillar 甲申, Yang Wood. Every date on this page is computed by the same astronomical kernel that powers our public API, to the minute.
Lichun 2004-02-04 19:56:17 · CNY 2004-01-22 · engine 0.1.0
| Field | Value (kernel-computed) |
|---|---|
| Year pillar 年柱 (Lichun rule) | 甲申 甲申 |
| Zodiac 生肖 | Monkey 猴 |
| Element (heavenly stem) | Yang Wood |
| Exact Lichun instant 立春 | 2004-02-04 19:56:17 Beijing |
| Chinese New Year 正月初一 | 2004-01-22 |
| Lunar months in the year | 13（leap month: month 2 閏2月） |
| Lunar year length | 384.056 days |
The two-calendar window in 2004
In 2004, Chinese New Year 正月初一 falls first (2004-01-22) and Lichun 立春 13 days later (2004-02-04). Anyone born inside that 13-day window gets a different zodiac animal and year pillar depending on which convention their tool follows — BaZi practice switches at the exact Lichun instant (2004-02-04 19:56:17, Beijing), folk calendar practice at the new moon. This is not an edge case we gloss over — it is the single most common source of wrong zodiac years, and our engine comparison tool shows it live with three engines side by side.
Your Kua number for 2004
Born inside 2004 (after Lichun)? Your Ming Gua: male (2000 − 2004) mod 9 = 5 → Kun 坤 · female (2004 − 2000 + 6) mod 9 = 1 → Kan 坎（five yellow substituted per convention）. Born before Lichun? The formula runs on 2003 — the Kua calculator applies the boundary for your exact birthday.
FAQ
When does the year of the Monkey (甲申) start and end?
By the exact Lichun instant: from 2004-02-04 19:56:17 Beijing to the Lichun of 2005. By the lunar calendar: from Chinese New Year (2004-01-22) to the next new-year new moon. The two definitions disagree about 13 days of 2004 — see the window note above.
Is 2004 a leap month year?
Yes — the lunar year 2004 has 13 months with a leap month 2 閏2月, computed by the GB/T 33661-2017 rules (no-zhongqi method, with the 2033-type edge cases handled).
What is my Kua number if I was born in 2004?
For births after Lichun: male 5 (坤), female 1 (坎). Births before the exact Lichun instant belong to 2003 and use that year in the formula — most online calculators get early-February birthdays wrong here.
Tools for this year
All 24 solar terms of 2004 · Almanac for Chinese New Year (2004-01-22) · Kua number calculator · Four-pillar chart · All Monkey years