Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2016 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Monkey
丙申年 Fire Monkey, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Monkey, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2016.
The answer
2016 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac: a Fire Monkey year, 丙申 (bǐng shēn) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 8 February 2016 to 27 January 2017, so people born from 1 January to 7 February 2016 belong to the previous animal, the Goat. China recorded 17.86 million births in 2016.
2016 at a glance
- Animal
- Monkey 猴 (hóu), ninth of the 12
- Element
- Fire 火, yang (阳), from the stem 丙 (bǐng)
- 60-year cycle
- 丙申 bǐng shēn · the same Fire Monkey year was 1956 and comes again in 2076
- Starts
- Monday, 8 February 2016 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Friday, 27 January 2017 · the Year of the Rooster begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2016 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2016
- 17.86 million in mainland China (NBS), +7.9% on 2015
- Age in 2026
- Turns 10 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2028
- Best matches
- Rat and Dragon (三合 trine), Snake (六合 pair) · clashes with the Tiger
Born in 2016? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2016 the cut-off was 8 February 2016.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 7 Feb 2016 2016 | Goat 羊 | Wood | 乙未 |
| 8 Feb 2016 – 31 Dec 2016 | Monkey 猴 | Fire | 丙申 |
| 1 Jan 2017 – 27 Jan 2017 | Monkey 猴 (still) | Fire | 丙申 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2016 in 2016) 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 Monkeys: China’s births in 2016
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 17.86 million births in mainland China in 2016, +7.9% compared with 2015 (16.55 million); 2017 had 17.23 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2016 ranks 50th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2016’s babies belong to the Goat and the first weeks of 2017 to the Monkey. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Monkey means
Tradition calls Monkey people clever, lively and versatile, and pairs them best with the Rat and Dragon. The element adds a layer: a Fire Monkey is read differently from a Earth Monkey. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Monkey years. Read the full Year of the Monkey guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Monkey
The Monkey returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Fire Monkey itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 12 Feb 1956 | 30 Jan 1957 |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 30 Jan 1968 | 16 Feb 1969 |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 16 Feb 1980 | 4 Feb 1981 |
| 1992 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 4 Feb 1992 | 22 Jan 1993 |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 22 Jan 2004 | 8 Feb 2005 |
| 2016 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 8 Feb 2016 | 27 Jan 2017 |
| 2028 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 26 Jan 2028 | 12 Feb 2029 |
| 2040 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 12 Feb 2040 | 31 Jan 2041 |
| 2052 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 1 Feb 2052 | 18 Feb 2053 |
| 2064 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 17 Feb 2064 | 4 Feb 2065 |
| 2076 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 5 Feb 2076 | 23 Jan 2077 |
Matches for people born in 2016
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 2016
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2016. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2016 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 8 February 2016 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 22 February 2016 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2016 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 9 June 2016 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 15 September 2016 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 7 February 2016 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2016?
2016 is the Year of the Monkey (猴, hóu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 丙申, a Fire Monkey year, yang (阳). It began on 8 February 2016 and ended on 27 January 2017; 2017 is the Year of the Rooster.
I was born in January or February 2016. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Monkey started on 8 February 2016. Born on or after that date, you are a Monkey; born between 1 January and 7 February 2016, you are a Goat. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2016 in 2016; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2016 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire (火, huǒ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 丙 (bǐng), which also makes 2016 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Fire Monkey, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1956 and the next is 2076.
How old is someone born in 2016 in 2026?
Someone born in 2016 turns 10 in 2026 (9 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 11 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Monkey?
2028, starting on 26 January 2028. For someone born in 2016 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 2016?
About 17.86 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +7.9% compared with 2015. That ranks 2016 50th 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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