Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2040 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Monkey
庚申年 Metal Monkey, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Monkey, the element and matches.
The answer
2040 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Monkey year, 庚申 (gēng shēn) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 12 February 2040 to 31 January 2041, so people born from 1 January to 11 February 2040 belong to the previous animal, the Goat.
2040 at a glance
- Animal
- Monkey 猴 (hóu), ninth of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yang (阳), from the stem 庚 (gēng)
- 60-year cycle
- 庚申 gēng shēn · the same Metal Monkey year was 1980 and comes again in 2100
- Starts
- Sunday, 12 February 2040 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Thursday, 31 January 2041 · the Year of the Rooster begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2040 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- 本命年
- Children born in 2040 have their first 本命年 (own zodiac year) in 2052, then 2064
- Best matches
- Rat and Dragon (三合 trine), Snake (六合 pair) · clashes with the Tiger
Born in 2040? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2040 the cut-off was 12 February 2040.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 11 Feb 2040 2040 | Goat 羊 | Earth | 己未 |
| 12 Feb 2040 – 31 Dec 2040 | Monkey 猴 | Metal | 庚申 |
| 1 Jan 2041 – 31 Jan 2041 | Monkey 猴 (still) | Metal | 庚申 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2040 in 2040) 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.
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 Metal Monkey is read differently from a Water 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 Metal Monkey itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2088 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 24 Jan 2088 | 9 Feb 2089 |
| 2100 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 9 Feb 2100 | 28 Jan 2101 |
Matches for people born in 2040
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 2040
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2040. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2040 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 12 February 2040 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 26 February 2040 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2040 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 14 June 2040 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 20 September 2040 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 11 February 2040 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2040?
2040 is the Year of the Monkey (猴, hóu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 庚申, a Metal Monkey year, yang (阳). It began on 12 February 2040 and ended on 31 January 2041; 2041 is the Year of the Rooster.
I was born in January or February 2040. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Monkey started on 12 February 2040. Born on or after that date, you are a Monkey; born between 1 January and 11 February 2040, 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 2040 in 2040; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2040 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 庚 (gēng), which also makes 2040 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Monkey, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1980 and the next is 2100.
When is the next Year of the Monkey?
2028, starting on 26 January 2028. For someone born in 2040 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.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · 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
Newsletter · Free · Every Thursday
The China Brief
What China is talking about, in plain English. Every Thursday.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click.