1980 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Monkey
The short answer
1980 is the year of the Metal Monkey (庚申 Gēngshēn), from 16 February 1980 to 4 February 1981. Anyone born in 1980 before 16 February 1980 belongs to the Earth Goat year.
1980 is the year of the Metal Monkey (庚申 Gēngshēn), from 16 February 1980 to 4 February 1981. Anyone born in 1980 before 16 February 1980 belongs to the Earth Goat year.
- Animal: Monkey
- Element: Metal (Yang)
- Cycle name: 庚申 Gēngshēn, year 57 of the 60-year cycle
- Starts: 16 February 1980
- Ends: 4 February 1981
The Metal Monkey
Metal years are traditionally linked with determination, precision and principle: the element of clear edges, strong will and high standards. The Monkey is the zodiac's inventor. Tradition describes Monkey people as clever, playful and adaptable, quick to solve a puzzle and quicker to get bored once it is solved. They learn fast and enjoy a clever shortcut.
Born in January or February 1980?
Anyone born from 1 January to 15 February 1980 belongs to the Earth Goat year of 1979. From 16 February 1980 the Metal Monkey year begins.
Famous people born in the Metal Monkey year
- Rebel Wilson, born 2 March 1980
- Channing Tatum, born 26 April 1980
- Venus Williams, born 17 June 1980
- Chris Pine, born 26 August 1980
- Kim Kardashian, born 21 October 1980
- Ryan Gosling, born 12 November 1980
- Christina Aguilera, born 18 December 1980
- Jake Gyllenhaal, born 19 December 1980
- Alicia Keys, born 25 January 1981
- Justin Timberlake, born 31 January 1981
How the dates are worked out
Each Chinese New Year here is worked out from the sky, not copied from a list. A lunar month starts on the day of a New Moon in China Standard Time (UTC+8, or Beijing local time before 1929). The month holding the December solstice is the 11th month. When 13 New Moons fall between two of those months, the first month with no principal solar term (the Sun reaching a multiple of 30 degrees) is a leap month. New Year is the first day of the 1st month, which is why it moves between 21 January and 20 February. New Moons and solar terms follow Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms. The rules follow the Chinese calendar.
1979: Earth Goat · 1981: Metal Rooster · All Monkey years · All 12 animals