Chinese zodiac: Li Chun or Lunar New Year?

First, which question are you asking?

The folk zodiac usually changes at Lunar New Year. The BaZi year pillar in this tool changes at the exact Li Chun solar term. They describe different conventions. A calendar convention does not make life predictions scientifically accurate.

Missing your exact birth time? You can first explore year, month and zodiac themes, with uncertain fields left undetermined.

Is Li Chun more accurate?

For the BaZi year pillar used here, Li Chun matches our seasonal convention. For the zodiac used in New Year customs, use Lunar New Year. Neither is a universal answer to every zodiac question.

The month pillar changes at the twelve dividing solar terms, such as Li Chun, Jing Zhe and Qing Ming. It does not change on the first day of every Gregorian or lunar month. Do not assume every year changes at midnight on February 4.

A boundary example: February 4, 2026

The calendar library calculates Li Chun at 2026-02-04 04:02:08 in UTC+8. In this tool, 03:59 gives year 乙巳 and month 己丑; 04:03 gives 丙午 and 庚寅. Both times are before Lunar New Year, so the folk zodiac remains Snake while the Li Chun year branch changes from Snake to Horse.

The second-level timestamp is a library calculation, not our independent astronomical observation; boundary records deserve further checking. Without an exact time on that date, both candidate pairs remain. The Hong Kong Observatory calendar supports date-level checks of lunar dates and solar terms.

What if my birth time is unknown?

With a confirmed date and UTC offset at birth, the tool determines the available year/month pillars and both zodiac conventions. If the possible birth interval crosses a boundary, it keeps candidates. A two-hour interval is also treated as incomplete; we do not substitute its midpoint as an exact recorded time.

These reports discuss traditional year/month themes, everyday choices, communication and goals. Without exact hours and minutes, this version omits day/hour pillars, day-master strength, useful elements, luck-cycle starting ages and full five-element percentages. It does not name a year or month when marriage, promotion or illness must occur.

If the time-zone offset is unknown, the tool does not determine specific pillars or zodiac signs. Check the birth record and historical daylight-saving offset when possible.

How calculation and AI work together

1. Validate the Gregorian date, or convert a confirmed regular/leap Chinese lunar month.
2. Use your confirmed birth-time UTC offset to convert to UTC+8 standard time. Apply Li Chun years, solar-term months and midnight day changes.
3. Show the calendar evidence separately. You can preview this without calling an AI provider.
4. Give the calculated fields and your question to AI for interpretation and practical suggestions. Unknown fields must remain unknown.
5. Download the calculation evidence and interpretation together as a text report.

Calendar facts and cultural interpretations have different evidential status. A calendar library is not a professional human review.

Current conventions and limits

The engine is lunar-javascript 1.7.7. This version uses UTC+8 standard time with midnight day changes (sect 2), without apparent solar time correction, luck-cycle starting ages, Zi Wei or Western planetary charts. Different schools may use different time conventions; compare conventions before comparing charts.

Your offset must include daylight saving at birth. A location name does not automatically verify it. Lunar input uses the Chinese UTC+8 calendar and requires an explicit regular or leap month; for another time zone, use a verified local Gregorian date.

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