2040 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Monkey

2040 is the year of the Metal Monkey (庚申 Gēngshēn), from 12 February 2040 to 31 January 2041. Anyone born in 2040 before 12 February 2040 belongs to the Earth Goat year.

• Animal: Monkey
• Element: Metal (Yang)
• Cycle name: 庚申 Gēngshēn, year 57 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 12 February 2040
• Ends: 31 January 2041

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 2040?

Anyone born from 1 January to 11 February 2040 belongs to the Earth Goat year of 2039. From 12 February 2040 the Metal Monkey 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.

2039: Earth Goat · 2041: Metal Rooster · All Monkey years · All 12 animals