1952 Chinese zodiac sign: Water Dragon

Chinese year 1952 begins on Sunday, January 27, 1952, and ends on Friday, February 13, 1953, the day before the Year of the Water Snake begins. It has a full 384 days, because it is a leap year with 13 lunar months; the next one comes in 1955. The Chinese calendar adds the extra month roughly every two or three years so that it doesn't drift away from the seasons.

The year opens with the new moon on Saturday, January 26, 1952 at 5:26 p.m. ET. In Beijing it is already January 27, 6:26 a.m. China Standard Time, and the Beijing date sets New Year's Day, so the new year begins on January 27.

The Lantern Festival, which closes the New Year celebrations, comes on the fifteenth day of the first month, so on Sunday, February 10, 1952. The year's first full moon falls on Sunday, February 10, 1952 at 7:28 p.m. ET. The partial lunar eclipse takes place at this same full moon.

It is year 29 of the sixty-year cycle that began in 1924 with the Wood Rat. In Chinese this year is called 壬辰 (rénchén): the heavenly stem 壬 gives the element and the earthly branch 辰 the animal.

In Ba Zi astrology, the Four Pillars of Destiny, the year 1952 begins not at the lunar New Year but at the moment of lìchūn (立春, “start of spring”), when the Sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude: on Monday, February 4, 1952 at 3:52 p.m. Eastern Time. That is 8 days after Chinese New Year, so anyone born between January 27 and that moment already has the Water Dragon sign in the lunar calendar but still the Metal Rabbit sign in Ba Zi.

This page and the calculator give your sign by the lunar calendar.

The Dragon is the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac and a symbol of imperial power, which is why in China a Dragon year is considered the best time to have a baby. The sign carries energy, confidence and big ambitions.

Intuition, flexibility and a gift for persuasion. Water softens a sign and teaches it to go with the flow.

The Water element covers two years in a row, 1952 (yang) and 1953 (yin), and comes back every ten years: before that in 1942–1943, next in 1962–1963.

Water teaches the Dragon patience. The Water Dragon is calmer and more diplomatic than its relatives, so it pursues its vision with finesse rather than force. It takes criticism better and can give way when that serves the cause. Sometimes, though, it waits too long before making a decision.

In 2026, people born in 1952 turn 74 years old. The Year of the Fire Horse is running now, which tradition counts as a year with no special tie for the Dragon. People born in 1952 reach their next běnmìngnián, the year of their own sign, in 2036, when they turn 84 years old.

The Dragon comes back every 12 years, each time with a different element. The exact combination of 1952, the Water Dragon, returns every 60 years: in 1892, 1952 and 2012.