1984 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Rat

1984 is the year of the Wood Rat (甲子 Jiǎzǐ), from 2 February 1984 to 19 February 1985. Anyone born in 1984 before 2 February 1984 belongs to the Water Pig year.

• Animal: Rat
• Element: Wood (Yang)
• Cycle name: 甲子 Jiǎzǐ, year 1 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 2 February 1984
• Ends: 19 February 1985

The Wood Rat

Wood years are traditionally linked with growth, generosity and cooperation: the element of things that grow towards the light and make room for others. The Rat opens the twelve-year cycle, and tradition gives it the quickest mind of the twelve. Rat people are described as resourceful, sociable and alert to an opening before anyone else has noticed it. They save for a rainy day, read a room fast and like to have a plan and a spare plan.

Born in January or February 1984?

Anyone born from 1 January to 1 February 1984 belongs to the Water Pig year of 1983. From 2 February 1984 the Wood Rat year begins.

Famous people born in the Wood Rat year

• Khloe Kardashian, born 27 June 1984
• Prince Harry, born 15 September 1984
• Avril Lavigne, born 27 September 1984
• Katy Perry, born 25 October 1984
• Scarlett Johansson, born 22 November 1984
• LeBron James, born 30 December 1984
• Lewis Hamilton, born 7 January 1985
• Cristiano Ronaldo, born 5 February 1985

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.

1983: Water Pig · 1985: Wood Ox · All Rat years · All 12 animals