5 of 12 · branch Chen (辰) · element Earth · last Loong year 2024
The Loong is the only mythical creature in the cycle, and the only one that combines parts of twelve animals. 辰时 falls in late morning, the hour associated with rain, which is why the Loong is a weather animal: it controls rivers, seas and the monsoon. It carries the highest status of the twelve, which is why birth rates visibly rise in Loong years.
The branch repeats every twelve years, but the stem in front of it moves by two each time, so the element cycles through all five. That is why two Loong years can feel quite different.
The table above treats a whole Gregorian year as one animal, which is true for most of it. January and early February are the exception: the zodiac turns at the Start of Spring (around 4 February, exact to the minute) in divination, and at the lunar new year in festival usage. Between those two dates the animal is still the previous one.
Pick the exact date in the zodiac lookup, or open this year’s New Year date to see where the line falls.