# Chinese New Year **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444 "2003-01-23T15:16:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/1 "2003-01-23T15:16:38Z")
What year will this be? starting Feb.1 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/2 "2003-01-23T15:20:47Z")
Year of the Goat - I’m unsure of the year’s number, though. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/3 "2003-01-23T15:40:25Z")
For an excellent discussion of the mathematics of the Chinese calendar, see this site, [http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/calendar/chinese.shtml](http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/calendar/chinese.shtml) > [@](#): > > [T]he Chinese do not have a continuous year count. They started counting from one again with each new emperor. However, from the Han dynasty, some scholars tried to reconstruct the ancient Chinese chronology, and it became customary to claim that the calendar was invented by the Yellow Emperor, Huang Di, in 2637 BCE during the 61st year of his reign. However, many people prefer to start the count with the first year of his reign in 2697 BCE. Since these years are 60 years apart, it follows that 1984 was the first year of either the 78th or 79th 60-years cycle. Using this as a starting point, Chinese New Year in 2000 marks the beginning of the Chinese year 4637 or 4697. To give you an example of the level of confusion on this point, in Chapter 3 of Volume III of the translation of the Shoo King (shu jing) by James Legge, he refers to the current year, 1863, as being in the 76th cycle, implying a starting point of 2697 BCE. However, the book has an appendix on Chinese astronomy, written by John Chalmers, where the starting point is taken to be 2637 BCE! “Year of the Goat” is good enough for me. Who needs numbers? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/4 "2003-01-23T15:50:50Z")
Lunar Year 4701. Well, I thought it was a sheep. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/5 "2003-01-23T19:47:42Z")
Sheep and goat are both correct - they have the same symbol in mandarin. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/6 "2003-01-24T00:00:10Z")
Thanks for this topic. Vietnam follows the same lunar year cycling as China; howwever, there is one difference. Vietnam has one animal different in their zodiac and for the life of me, I can’t remember which one it is. Anyone know (and will tell)? ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/7 "2003-01-24T01:03:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\* Vietnam has one animal different in their zodiac and for the life of me, I can’t remember which one it is. Anyone know (and will tell)? \*\* I believe the Vietnamese use the cat for years that would be rabbit years under the Chinese calendar. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/8 "2003-01-24T01:14:32Z")
Cat for rabbit is the most obvious, but Viet Nam also uses buffalo in place of the ox. In addition, Viet Nam distinguishes goat from sheep, even if the Chinese don’t, and the year definitely belongs to the goat there. Chúc mừng nãm mới! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/9 "2003-01-24T15:16:27Z")
but it still tastes like chicken… ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/10 "2003-01-26T05:06:15Z")
chukhung: Thanks! That’s been nagging at me for a bit. Greg: Thanks! Btw, wrong diacritics on the word for year–should be na(m. Na^'m is “mushroom.” Hmm…maybe that’s what you’re celebrating, the magical ones? I’ll stick with the sparkling cider. Oh, and “Chu’c mu+`ng na(m mo+'i” right back atcha! vanilla: Nah, it tastes like old cow. Reminds me of the time I forgot where I was (Olongapo) and ordered a cheeseburger and fries with ketchup. Got a caribou/water buffalo burger with fetta cheese and french fried taro with banana sauce! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/11 "2003-01-26T05:09:42Z")
p.s. to Greg: How’d you get the Vietnamese type to come out correctly? ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-new-year/150444/12 "2003-01-26T07:41:36Z")
No, it’s Year of the Ram 😛