2010 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Tiger

2010 is the year of the Metal Tiger (庚寅 Gēngyín), from 14 February 2010 to 2 February 2011. Anyone born in 2010 before 14 February 2010 belongs to the Earth Ox year.

• Animal: Tiger
• Element: Metal (Yang)
• Cycle name: 庚寅 Gēngyín, year 27 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 14 February 2010
• Ends: 2 February 2011

The Metal Tiger

Metal years are traditionally linked with determination, precision and principle: the element of clear edges, strong will and high standards. The Tiger is the zodiac's bold one. Tradition describes Tiger people as brave, confident and competitive, with a strong sense of fairness and a generous streak. They would rather act and apologise later than wait for permission.

Born in January or February 2010?

Anyone born from 1 January to 13 February 2010 belongs to the Earth Ox year of 2009. From 14 February 2010 the Metal Tiger year begins.

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.

2009: Earth Ox · 2011: Metal Rabbit · All Tiger years · All 12 animals