Chinese zodiac · 申 Shēn
Year of the Monkey
The Monkey is the ninth of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, the animal of the earthly branch Shēn. Each Monkey year starts at Lì Chūn, the Start of Spring, around February 4, not on January 1.
At a glance
- In Chinese
- 猴 (hóu); the branch 申 (shēn)
- Monkey years
- 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040
- Next Monkey year
- 2028, from Lì Chūn at 3:31 pm on February 4, Beijing time (Lunar New Year: January 26, 2028)
- The branch's own element
- Metal
- Monkey hour
- 3 pm to 5 pm, by the sun
- Monkey month
- From 立秋 (Start of Autumn), about August 7, to 白露 (White Dew), about September 7
- Matches in tradition
- Six combination: Snake (巳). Three harmony: Rat (子) and Dragon (辰).
- Clash in tradition
- Tiger (寅)
- 2027 almanac lists
- On neither list
Every Monkey year, with exact dates
| Year | Name | By Lunar New Year | By Lì Chūn (Beijing time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 壬申, Water Monkey | 6 Feb 1932 to 25 Jan 1933 | 5 Feb 1932, 8:29 am to 4 Feb 1933, 2:09 pm |
| 1944 | 甲申, Wood Monkey | 25 Jan 1944 to 12 Feb 1945 | 5 Feb 1944, 6:22 am to 4 Feb 1945, 12:19 pm |
| 1956 | 丙申, Fire Monkey | 12 Feb 1956 to 30 Jan 1957 | 5 Feb 1956, 4:12 am to 4 Feb 1957, 9:54 am |
| 1968 | 戊申, Earth Monkey | 30 Jan 1968 to 16 Feb 1969 | 5 Feb 1968, 2:07 am to 4 Feb 1969, 7:59 am |
| 1980 | 庚申, Metal Monkey | 16 Feb 1980 to 4 Feb 1981 | 5 Feb 1980, 12:09 am to 4 Feb 1981, 5:55 am |
| 1992 | 壬申, Water Monkey | 4 Feb 1992 to 22 Jan 1993 | 4 Feb 1992, 9:48 pm to 4 Feb 1993, 3:37 am |
| 2004 | 甲申, Wood Monkey | 22 Jan 2004 to 8 Feb 2005 | 4 Feb 2004, 7:56 pm to 4 Feb 2005, 1:43 am |
| 2016 | 丙申, Fire Monkey | 8 Feb 2016 to 27 Jan 2017 | 4 Feb 2016, 5:45 pm to 3 Feb 2017, 11:34 pm |
| 2028 | 戊申, Earth Monkey | 26 Jan 2028 to 12 Feb 2029 | 4 Feb 2028, 3:31 pm to 3 Feb 2029, 9:20 pm |
| 2040 | 庚申, Metal Monkey | 12 Feb 2040 to 31 Jan 2041 | 4 Feb 2040, 1:39 pm to 3 Feb 2041, 7:25 pm |
Take a made-up birth on February 5, 2016. Lì Chūn had come at 5:45 pm on February 4, Beijing time, so in BaZi that baby is a Monkey. Lunar New Year didn't come until February 8, 2016, so many zodiac calendars still say a Goat. Both answers are in use; this site counts from Lì Chūn.
Check your birthday
Your animal is one character of eight. Enter your birth date to check your animal and see the type BaZi reads from your birth day. It's worked out in your browser and sent nowhere.
The Monkey's five elements
Wood Monkey, 甲申: 1944, 2004. Na Yin: Spring Water (泉中水).
Fire Monkey, 丙申: 1956, 2016. Na Yin: Below-Mountain Fire (山下火).
Earth Monkey, 戊申: 1968, 2028. Na Yin: Great Highway Earth (大驿土).
Metal Monkey, 庚申: 1980, 2040. Na Yin: Pomegranate Wood (石榴木).
Water Monkey, 壬申: 1932, 1992. Na Yin: Sword-Edge Metal (剑锋金).
The element comes from the year's heavenly stem, so it changes every two years and comes back every ten. The Na Yin is a second element that tradition gives each of the sixty pairs.
The Monkey in folk tradition
In the folk tale of the great race, the Monkey, the Goat and the Rooster helped one another across the river, and the Monkey came in ninth.
Popular lore describes people born in a Monkey year as smart, quick-witted and curious.
These are folk descriptions, not facts about anyone born in a Monkey year.
Monkey compatibility in tradition: matches and clashes
Six combination (六合) with the Snake (巳): each branch has one partner of this kind.
Three harmony (三合) with the Rat (子) and the Dragon (辰): together, the three make the Water trio.
Clash (冲) with the Tiger (寅): the branch opposite on the circle of twelve.
Harm (害) with the Pig (亥); punishment (刑) with the Tiger (寅) and the Snake (巳); break (破) with the Snake (巳).
These are relations between two year branches, one character of eight in each chart. They're tradition, not a verdict on a couple. A full comparison reads both whole charts.
The Monkey in 2027
2027 is a Fire Goat year, 丁未, from Lì Chūn on February 4, 2027.
- The 2027 almanac's two lists: Tai Sui, and combining with the year
- On neither list
These two lists are printed here as the almanac gives them, with no verdict attached: being on either one, or on neither, says nothing about how the year goes.
The other animals
Sources
MiraCosta College Library, China Culture, China Daily (2013), China Daily (2015), China Daily (2023), Asian Art Museum, CGTN
A traditional reading for entertainment, reflection and cultural interest, not a prediction or professional advice. Disclaimer
Last updated: 2026-11-13