Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1988 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dragon
戊辰年 Earth Dragon, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Dragon, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1988.
The answer
1988 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Dragon year, 戊辰 (wù chén) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 17 February 1988 to 5 February 1989, so people born from 1 January to 16 February 1988 belong to the previous animal, the Rabbit. China recorded 24.64 million births in 1988.
1988 at a glance
- Animal
- Dragon 龙 (lóng), fifth of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yang (阳), from the stem 戊 (wù)
- 60-year cycle
- 戊辰 wù chén · the same Earth Dragon year was 1928 and comes again in 2048
- Starts
- Wednesday, 17 February 1988 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Sunday, 5 February 1989 · the Year of the Snake begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1988 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1988
- 24.64 million in mainland China (NBS), −2.6% on 1987
- Age in 2026
- Turns 38 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2036
- Best matches
- Monkey and Rat (三合 trine), Rooster (六合 pair) · clashes with the Dog
Born in 1988? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1988 the cut-off was 17 February 1988.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 16 Feb 1988 1988 | Rabbit 兔 | Fire | 丁卯 |
| 17 Feb 1988 – 31 Dec 1988 | Dragon 龙 | Earth | 戊辰 |
| 1 Jan 1989 – 5 Feb 1989 | Dragon 龙 (still) | Earth | 戊辰 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1988 in 1988) as the boundary instead, which can move a few days of January or February births to the other animal. The Lunar New Year rule is the everyday one. Not sure? Use the Chinese zodiac calculator.
How many Dragons: China’s births in 1988
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 24.64 million births in mainland China in 1988, −2.6% compared with 1987 (25.29 million); 1989 had 24.14 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1988 ranks 12th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1988’s babies belong to the Rabbit and the first weeks of 1989 to the Dragon. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Dragon means
Tradition calls Dragon people confident, ambitious and energetic, and pairs them best with the Monkey and Rat. The element adds a layer: a Earth Dragon is read differently from a Metal Dragon. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Dragon years. Read the full Year of the Dragon guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Dragon
The Dragon returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Dragon itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 23 Jan 1928 | 9 Feb 1929 |
| 1940 | Metal Dragon 金龙 · 庚辰 | 8 Feb 1940 | 26 Jan 1941 |
| 1952 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 27 Jan 1952 | 13 Feb 1953 |
| 1964 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 13 Feb 1964 | 1 Feb 1965 |
| 1976 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 31 Jan 1976 | 17 Feb 1977 |
| 1988 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 17 Feb 1988 | 5 Feb 1989 |
| 2000 | Metal Dragon 金龙 · 庚辰 | 5 Feb 2000 | 23 Jan 2001 |
| 2012 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 23 Jan 2012 | 9 Feb 2013 |
| 2024 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 10 Feb 2024 | 28 Jan 2025 |
| 2036 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 28 Jan 2036 | 14 Feb 2037 |
| 2048 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 14 Feb 2048 | 1 Feb 2049 |
Matches for people born in 1988
Traditional compatibility pairs the 12 animals on a wheel: the three animals four places apart form a 三合 (sānhé) trine, each animal has one 六合 (liùhé) partner, and the animal opposite is its 六冲 (liùchōng) clash. These are folk rules used in match-making and in choosing wedding dates, not predictions.
Festival dates in 1988
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1988. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1988 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 17 February 1988 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 2 March 1988 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 1988 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 18 June 1988 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 25 September 1988 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 16 February 1988 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1988?
1988 is the Year of the Dragon (龙, lóng). In the full 60-year cycle it is 戊辰, a Earth Dragon year, yang (阳). It began on 17 February 1988 and ended on 5 February 1989; 1989 is the Year of the Snake.
I was born in January or February 1988. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Dragon started on 17 February 1988. Born on or after that date, you are a Dragon; born between 1 January and 16 February 1988, you are a Rabbit. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1988 in 1988; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1988 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 戊 (wù), which also makes 1988 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Dragon, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1928 and the next is 2048.
How old is someone born in 1988 in 2026?
Someone born in 1988 turns 38 in 2026 (37 until their birthday). In traditional Chinese reckoning (虚岁, xūsuì) a person is one at birth and gains a year at Lunar New Year, so the same person counts as 39 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Dragon?
2036, starting on 28 January 2036. For someone born in 1988 that is a 本命年 (běnmìngnián), their own zodiac year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful in; many people wear something red for it.
How many babies were born in China in 1988?
About 24.64 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −2.6% compared with 1987. That ranks 1988 12th of the 77 years from 1949 to 2025.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Data (年度数据 → 人口 → 出生人口) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2024 national economic and social development (births 9.54 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2025 national economic and social development (births 7.92 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS public Q&A: where to find births for years before 1982 (data.stats.gov.cn; pre-1982 data from household registration) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac (animals, stems and the 60-year cycle) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, What is benmingnian? (2 January 2024, in Chinese) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — published. Lunar New Year and Lichun dates computed in Beijing time and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; births from the National Bureau of Statistics annual series. Suggest a correction
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