CALENDAR AND CONVENTIONS
An intercalary lunar month
Some lunar years repeat a month number to keep the calendar in seasonal alignment.
Go deeper: the full reference
The idea in context
A leap month is a calendar adjustment, not a second zodiac year or a sign of unusual destiny. The returned lunar date marks it explicitly, while the year stem, branch and animal remain the same.
An example to picture
May 23, 2020 begins a leap fourth lunar month; it remains in the Geng-Zi Rat year.
A question to sit with
What does this extra month reveal about how calendars balance cycles?
Native app reference
The original examples describe Synastry’s date-only native year reader. This web guide does not calculate a placement or a Four Pillars chart.
Keep the calendar convention in view
The website offers these educational readings. Synastry’s native year reader uses a civil date and Lunar New Year; it is separate from a full Four Pillars or BaZi chart. Begin with the convention before comparing year labels.
Sources and conventions
These references identify the calendar or historical method used in this guide. Keep the named convention in view when comparing other traditions.
Hong Kong Observatory — Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Tables ↗ · Calendar reference covering 1901–2100, including leap months and cautions near midnight boundaries. The Synastry native reader uses its separately disclosed date-only Lunar New Year convention; this website provides the educational guide.
Connect the ideas
Begin with the year, not a full chart
Learn the calendar language used by Synastry’s native Chinese lunar-year reading, with its limits and conventions kept visible.
1 min readThe calendar convention in this guide
A Chinese lunar-year reading from an entered Gregorian calendar date.
1 min readA lunisolar calendar
Chinese calendar months follow lunar phases while the year stays aligned with seasons.
1 min readThe Lunar New Year boundary
This calculator changes the year placement on the first day of the first lunar month.
1 min read