2020 — Year of the Rat 鼠 庚子
2020 is the year of the Rat 鼠 — year pillar 庚子, Yang Metal. Every date on this page is computed by the same astronomical kernel that powers our public API, to the minute.
Lichun 2020-02-04 17:03:22 · CNY 2020-01-25 · engine 0.1.0
| Field | Value (kernel-computed) |
|---|---|
| Year pillar 年柱 (Lichun rule) | 庚子 庚子 |
| Zodiac 生肖 | Rat 鼠 |
| Element (heavenly stem) | Yang Metal |
| Exact Lichun instant 立春 | 2020-02-04 17:03:22 Beijing |
| Chinese New Year 正月初一 | 2020-01-25 |
| Lunar months in the year | 13（leap month: month 4 閏4月） |
| Lunar year length | 383.89 days |
The two-calendar window in 2020
In 2020, Chinese New Year 正月初一 falls first (2020-01-25) and Lichun 立春 10 days later (2020-02-04). Anyone born inside that 10-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 (2020-02-04 17:03:22, 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 2020
Born inside 2020 (after Lichun)? Your Ming Gua: male (2000 − 2020) mod 9 = 7 → Dui 兑 · female (2020 − 2000 + 6) mod 9 = 8 → Gen 艮. Born before Lichun? The formula runs on 2019 — the Kua calculator applies the boundary for your exact birthday.
FAQ
When does the year of the Rat (庚子) start and end?
By the exact Lichun instant: from 2020-02-04 17:03:22 Beijing to the Lichun of 2021. By the lunar calendar: from Chinese New Year (2020-01-25) to the next new-year new moon. The two definitions disagree about 10 days of 2020 — see the window note above.
Is 2020 a leap month year?
Yes — the lunar year 2020 has 13 months with a leap month 4 閏4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 2020?
For births after Lichun: male 7 (兑), female 8 (艮). Births before the exact Lichun instant belong to 2019 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 2020 · Almanac for Chinese New Year (2020-01-25) · Kua number calculator · Four-pillar chart · All Rat years