Chinese Calendar 2026

The Chinese calendar has 12 or 13 lunar months per year, and is about 20 to 50 days behind the Gregorian calendar. It's used to determine the dates of traditional Chinese festivals, like Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn. It's also used for Chinese zodiac astrology, and many Chinese still celebrate their Chinese calendar birthdays.
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· What is Chinese Lunar Calendar
· Convert Gregorian Calendar Dates to Chinese Calendar Dates
· How People Use Chinese Calendar
· The History of the Chinese Lunar Calendar
What is Chinese Lunar Calendar and How it Works?
The Chinese calendar is also called the lunar calendar, yin calendar or Xia calendar in China. The Chinese calendar is based on the orbits of the moon and earth. When the moon moves into a line with the earth and the sun, it comes the first day of the lunar month. When the moon is full, it comes the middle of the month. So there are 29 or 30 days in a month. There are 12 or 13 months in a lunar year. For 12 months, there will be 354 or 355 days in a year. To compensate the other 10 days with the Gregorian calendar, there is a leap month for about 2 or 3 lunar years.
In ancient China, the Chinese calendar was used to choose the dates for farming, weddings, and building and moving into new houses. Nowadays, most Chinese people use the Gregorian calendar for their daily life arrangements. But most Chinese still care about lunar dates because traditional festivals are based on the lunar calendar.
Chinese Calendar
Chinese Calendar Days
Ancient Chinese people used the 12 heavenly systems and 10 earthly branches to name each hour of a day. The Western hour-minute-second system was brought into China in the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). On a Chinese calendar, all dates use a regular two characters.
· Days 1 to 10 of a month are written with Chinese number characters and preceded by the Chinese character 初 (chu, which means 'beginning' or 'first'). For example, the 10th of the month is 初十.
· Days 11 to 20 are written as regular two-character Chinese numerals. For example, 十五 (shiwu) is the 15th day of the month, and 二十 (ershi) is the 20th.
· Days 21 to 29 are written with the character 廿 (nian, which means '20') preceding the characters 'one' through 'nine'. For example, 廿三 (niansan) is the 23rd day of the month. Day 30 is written as 30 usually is in Chinese: 三十 (sanshi).
Chinese Calendar Months
The length of a Chinese calendar month is not fixed from year to year. There are 29 days in a short month, which is also called a 'small month' in Chinese, while there are 30 days in a long month, called a 'big month'. In this way, a 12-month lunar year (with six 29-day months and six 30-day months) has only 354 days.
To keep the lunar calendar in synch with solar cycles (which thereby compensates for lost days compared to the Gregorian calendar), there is a leap month every two or three lunar years.
Leap Months - When Chinese Add a 13th Month
As a lunar month is on average 0.92 days shorter than a "solar month", the lunar calendar is just under a day per month slower than the solar calendar.
To prevent the lunar calendar from becoming more than half a month of sync with the solar calendar, an extra "leap month" is added in the Chinese calendar every 32 or 33 months. So every second or third Chinese calendar year has 13 months and 383–385 days.
The last Chinese calendar leap month was the second lunar month 2 in 2023.
The next leap month will be in 2025 (the sixth lunar month), 2028 (the fifth lunar month), 2031 (the third lunar month), 2033 (the eleventh lunar month), and 2036 (the sixth lunar month).
Names of Chinese Lunar Months
Ancient Chinese people named each lunar month according to what they or nature traditionally did in that month. See below.
Month
Chinese
English
Explanation
正月(Zhēngyuè)
Start Month
It starts the year.
杏月(Xìngyuè)
Apricot Month
Apricot trees blossom.
桃月(Táoyuè)
Peach Month
Peach trees blossom.
槐月(Huáiyuè)
Locust Tree Month
Locust trees blossom.
蒲月(Púyuè)
Sweet Sedge Month
Lunar month 5 day 5 is the Dragon Boat Festival
荷月(Héyuè)
Lotus Month
Lotus flowers bloom.
巧月(Qiǎoyuè)
Skill Month
On lunar month 7 day 7, Chinese Valentine's Day
桂月(Guìyuè)
Osmanthus Month
Osmanthus flowers bloom.
菊月(Júyuè)
Chrysanthemum Month
Chrysanthemum flowers bloom.
10
阳月(Yángyuè)
Yang Month
The Taoist yang force is believed to be strong this month.
11
冬月(Dōngyuè)
Winter Month
The winter solstice is in this month.
12
腊月(Làyuè)
Preserved Month
Chinese preserve meats ready for Spring Festival
Chinese Calendar VS Gregorian Calendar (Convert Chinese - English Date)
A Chinese calendar is based on the movement of the moon. When the moon moves into a line with the earth and the sun, the new lunar month begins. When the moon is full, it is the middle of the month. The circle is about 29 days. The lunar month has 29 or 30 days for a month. Gregorian calendar is calculated by the movement of sun, which has 30 or 31 days for a month. There is 21 to 51 days behind the corresponding Gregorian calendar date (intercalary months excepted).
Gregorian - Chinese Calendar Converter
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· Gregorian date:
· Chinese lunar calendar date:
· Chinese zodiac sign:
How People Use Chinese Calendar
Chinese people use the lunar calendar to define the Chinese traditional festivals, 24 solar terms and choose a lucky day for wedding, building or moving into new house and so on.
Traditional Chinese Festivals
Festivals are important to Chinese people. All traditional Chinese festivals are based on the lunar calendar. The Spr