Animal 9 of 12 · Metal · Yang
The Monkey
Cleverness, invention and an appetite for problems.
Strength. Solves things sideways. Finds the route nobody else considered.
Friction. Bores easily and occasionally treats other people as puzzles rather than persons.
Each animal also governs two hours of the day — the Monkey holds 15:00–17:00. Someone born in those hours is said to carry the Monkey as an inner sign regardless of their year.
Traits
Monkey years
| Year | Element | New year began |
|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Wood Monkey | 25 January |
| 1956 | Fire Monkey | 12 February |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey | 30 January |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey | 16 February |
| 1992 | Water Monkey | 4 February |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey | 22 January |
| 2016 | Fire Monkey | 8 February |
| 2028 | Earth Monkey | 26 January |
Born in January or early February of one of these years? Check the new year date — you may belong to the previous animal.
The five Monkeys
The Monkey's own fixed element is Metal. The element of the year interacts with it differently each time, which is what separates the five versions — and why the cycle runs sixty years.
| Version | Years | Relation to Metal |
|---|---|---|
| Water Monkey | 1932, 1992 | Drained by it — productive but costly |
| Wood Monkey | 1944, 2004 | Dominated by it — most forceful |
| Fire Monkey | 1956, 2016 | Controls it — most restrained |
| Earth Monkey | 1968, 2028 | Feeds it — best supported |
| Metal Monkey | 1980, 2040 | Doubled — strongest expression |
Calculated from the lunar calendar
Not every Monkey year is the same length
A lunisolar year runs 12 or 13 lunar months, so it lasts between 353 and 385 days rather than a fixed 365. That means the window for being born under a sign is genuinely wider in some years than others.
| Year | Ran from | To | Days | Lunar months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 6 Feb 1932 | 25 Jan 1933 | 355 | 12 |
| 1944 | 25 Jan 1944 | 12 Feb 1945 | 385 | 13 — leap year |
| 1956 | 12 Feb 1956 | 30 Jan 1957 | 354 | 12 |
| 1968 | 30 Jan 1968 | 16 Feb 1969 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 1980 | 16 Feb 1980 | 4 Feb 1981 | 355 | 12 |
| 1992 | 4 Feb 1992 | 22 Jan 1993 | 354 | 12 |
| 2004 | 22 Jan 2004 | 8 Feb 2005 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 2016 | 8 Feb 2016 | 27 Jan 2017 | 355 | 12 |
| 2028 | 26 Jan 2028 | 12 Feb 2029 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
A leap month is inserted seven times every nineteen years to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the seasons. Those are the 13-month years, and they run a full month longer than the others — a difference of about a month in how long a sign lasts.
The next Monkey year is 2028
By tradition that is the year for a Monkey to be careful in, not to celebrate. Why your own animal's year is considered unlucky.
Monkey compatibility
| With | Relation | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rat | Traditional ally | 90% |
| Dragon | Traditional ally | 90% |
| Snake | Traditional ally | 88% |
| Horse | Sextile — easy | 78% |
| Dog | Sextile — easy | 78% |
| Monkey | Same sign | 72% |
| Ox | Neutral | 68% |
| Rabbit | Neutral | 68% |
| Goat | Neutral | 68% |
| Rooster | Neutral | 68% |
| Pig | Square — friction | 60% |
| Tiger | Traditional clash | 45% |