What is a Chinese lunar date?
The Chinese calendar is lunisolar: its months follow the lunar cycle, while leap months keep the year aligned with the seasons. A date therefore needs a year, a numbered month, a day, and sometimes a leap-month marker. Leaving out that marker can identify a different day.
A leap-month example
March 22, 2023 corresponds to day 1 of leap month 2 in lunar year 2023, the Rabbit year. Regular month 2 began on February 20. Select “Try a leap-month example” to see the distinction, then reverse the conversion.
Finding a lunar birthday
Convert your Gregorian birth date and note the lunar month and day. To find that date in another year, switch direction and enter the new lunar year with the same month and day. If the original birthday was in a leap month, that month will not exist every year. Families follow different observances; this tool asks you to choose a valid date rather than silently substituting one.
Method, range, and sources
We use lunar-javascript for conversion and check calendar fixtures against the Hong Kong Observatory’s Gregorian–lunar tables. The selected date is treated as a date in the Chinese civil calendar; entering a location does not shift it to another day. The calculator supports February 19, 1901 through December 31, 2036. An impossible day or a leap month absent from that year returns an error.
Is the animal year the same as a BaZi year pillar?
Not always. Animal-year lookup uses Chinese New Year. A BaZi chart uses the Start of Spring solar term for the year pillar and needs separate time conventions.
Does this predict a baby’s sex?
No. This tool converts calendar dates. It does not generate a pregnancy prediction chart.
Method reviewed September 21, 2026. Report a date correction.