CALENDAR AND CONVENTIONS
Lunar New Year and Li Chun are different boundaries
Some Four Pillars traditions use the solar term Li Chun for the year pillar.
Go deeper: the full reference
The idea in context
Li Chun generally falls in early February and may precede or follow Lunar New Year. This calculator consistently uses Lunar New Year for a date-only year animal reading. It does not present a BaZi year pillar or settle differences among traditions.
An example to picture
For a date between Li Chun and Lunar New Year, a BaZi source can name a different year pillar than this calculator.
A question to sit with
Which convention is a source using before you compare two readings?
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