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1940 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Dragon
1940 is the year of the Metal Dragon, 庚辰: from Chinese New Year on 8 February 1940 to 26 January 1941.
Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
The Metal Dragon
Element
Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. In the sixty-year cycle each animal meets each element once, so the Metal Dragon came last in 1880 and returns in 2000. The year's 纳音 (the "sound" of its stem and branch in the old almanacs) is 白蜡金.
Company
The Dragon shares a trine with the Rat and the Monkey; its secret friend is the Rooster. Those signs are said to find a Dragon year easiest. Dragon years see a rise in births across the Chinese-speaking world: parents plan for them.
Years of the Dragon
Each starts at Chinese New Year.
- 1928Earth Dragon, from 23 January 1928
- 1940Metal Dragon, from 8 February 1940
- 1952Water Dragon, from 27 January 1952
- 1964Wood Dragon, from 13 February 1964
- 1976Fire Dragon, from 31 January 1976
- 1988Earth Dragon, from 17 February 1988
- 2000Metal Dragon, from 5 February 2000
- 2012Water Dragon, from 23 January 2012
- 2024Wood Dragon, from 10 February 2024
- 2036Fire Dragon, from 28 January 2036
Born in 1940?
Between 8 February 1940 and 26 January 1941 you are a Metal Dragon.
Anyone born from 8 February 1940 to 26 January 1941 is a Metal Dragon (庚辰) and turns 86 in 2026. Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1940, before the 8 February 1940 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rabbit, is yours: the zodiac follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January. The zodiac calculator settles it from the exact date.
Your zodiac years (本命年, when the Dragon comes round again) are 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048; the next one is 2036. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dragon best are the Rat, the Monkey and the Rooster: the compatibility table has every pair.
Questions
What is the Chinese zodiac for 1940?
1940 is the Year of the Metal Dragon. Anyone born from 8 February 1940 to 26 January 1941 is a Dragon; a birthday earlier in 1940, before Chinese New Year, belongs to the Rabbit.
When does the Year of the Dragon 1940 start and end?
It starts at Chinese New Year, 8 February 1940, and ends on 26 January 1941, the day before the next new year.
What element is the Dragon in 1940?
Metal (金), from the heavenly stem 庚. Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell.
Is a baby born in January 1940 a Dragon?
No. A baby born before 8 February 1940 belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit. The zodiac year follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January.
Which other years were Metal Dragon years?
2000. The same stem and branch return every sixty years.
Your Dragon in ink
The Dragon painted in ink wash above your name and lunar birthday.
Make the poster
Enter your birthday; we set the animal, the element, the lunar date and your name, and add a Chinese name as a seal if you have one.
Start with my birthdayMore about the animal: Year of the Dragon. All twelve: the zodiac.