HSK 6 · Article · 642 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-does-the-chinese-lunar-calendar-work

农历是怎么算的？

How does the Chinese lunar calendar work?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

2025年nián的de春节chūnjié是shì1月yuè29日rì，2026年nián的de春节chūnjié却què到dào了le2月yuè17日rì，相差xiāngchà将近jiāngjìn三sān个gè星期xīngqī。难怪nánguài很hěn多duō外国wàiguó朋友péngyǒu会huì疑惑yíhuò：中国zhōngguó人rén最zuì重要zhòngyào的de节日jiérì，为什么wèishénme每年měinián都dōu不bú固定gùdìng？其实qíshí，春节chūnjié的de日子rìzi一点儿yìdiǎnr也yě没méi变biàn，它tā永远yóngyuǎn是shì农历nónglì的de正月初一zhèngyuè-chūyī。变biàn的de，是shì农历nónglì和hé公历gōnglì之间zhījiān的de距离jùlí。

农历nónglì的de“月yuè”，是shì跟着gēnzhe月亮yuèliang走zǒu的de。月亮yuèliang从cóng完全wánquán看不见kànbujiàn，到dào慢慢mànmàn变biàn圆yuán，再zài到dào重新chóngxīn消失xiāoshī，一yí个gè周期zhōuqī大约dàyuē是shì二十九èrshíjiǔ天tiān半bàn。所以suóyǐ，农历nónglì每个měigè月yuè的de第一dìyī天tiān，也yě就是jiùshì初一chūyī，夜里yèlǐ几乎jīhū看不到kànbudào月亮yuèliang；到dào了le十五shíwǔ前后qiánhòu，月亮yuèliang最zuì圆yuán。中国zhōngguó有yǒu句jù俗话súhuà，叫jiào“十五shíwǔ的de月亮yuèliang十六shíliù圆yuán”，说shuō的de就是jiùshì月亮yuèliang有时yǒushí要yào晚wǎn一天yìtiān才cái最zuì圆yuán。因为yīnwèi周期zhōuqī不是búshì整数zhěngshù，农历nónglì的de月份yuèfèn，有的yǒude三十sānshí天tiān，有的yǒude只有zhíyǒu二十九èrshíjiǔ天tiān。

问题wèntí恰恰qiàqià就jiù出chū在zài这里zhèlǐ。十二shí’èr个gè这样zhèyàng的de月yuè加jiā起来qǐlai，大致dàzhì只有zhíyǒu三百五十四sānbáiwǔshísì天tiān，比bǐ地球dìqiú绕rào太阳tàiyáng一yì圈quān的de三百六十五sānbǎiliùshíwǔ天tiān少shǎo了le大约dàyuē十一shíyī天tiān。如果rúguǒ不管bùguǎn它tā，春节chūnjié就jiù会huì一yì年nián比bǐ一yì年nián早zǎo，大约dàyuē十几shíjǐ年nián以后yǐhòu，就jiù会huì变成biànchéng一yí个gè夏天xiàtiān的de节日jiérì。伊斯兰教yīsīlánjiào的de历法lìfǎ完全wánquán按照ànzhào月亮yuèliang计算jìsuàn，结果jiéguǒ斋月zhāiyuè有时yǒushí在zài炎热yánrè的de夏天xiàtiān，有时yǒushí在zài寒冷hánlěng的de冬天dōngtiān。

为了wèile弥补míbǔ这个zhège误差wùchā，古代gǔdài的de天文学家tiānwénxuéjiā想xiǎng出chū了le一个yígè巧妙qiǎomiào的de办法bànfǎ：每隔měigé两三年liǎngsānnián，就jiù在zài一yì年nián里多duō加jiā一个yígè月yuè，叫做jiàozuò“闰月rùnyuè”。十九shíjiǔ年nián里li大约dàyuē要yào加jiā七qī次cì，有yǒu闰月rùnyuè的de那nà一yì年nián，一yí共有gòngyǒu十三shísān个gè月yuè。加jiā在zài哪个nǎge月yuè后面hòumiàn，要yào看kàn二十四节气èrshísìjiéqì，也就是说yějiùshìshuō，要yào看kàn太阳tàiyáng的de位置wèizhì。所以suóyǐ，农历nónglì其实qíshí不是búshì纯粹chúncuì的de“阴历yīnlì”，而是érshì一套yítào同时tóngshí兼顾jiāngù月亮yuèliang和hé太阳tàiyáng的de历法lìfǎ。正zhèng因为yīnwèi这样zhèyàng，春节chūnjié一般yìbān是shì冬至dōngzhì以后yǐhòu的de第二dì’èr个gè初一chūyī。在zài公历gōnglì上shàng，它tā总zǒng在zài1月yuè21日rì到dào2月yuè20日rì之间zhījiān，有yǒu早zǎo有yǒu晚wǎn，却què总是zǒngshì在zài冬天dōngtiān快要kuàiyào结束jiéshù、春天chūntiān快要kuàiyào来临láilín的de时候shíhou。

今天jīntiān，中国zhōngguó人rén上班shàngbān上学shàngxué用yòng公历gōnglì，逢年过节féngnián-guòjié却què依旧yījiù看kàn农历nónglì。很hěn多duō老人lǎorén也yě习惯xíguàn过guò农历nónglì生日shēngrì，所以suóyǐ他们tāmen的de生日shēngrì在zài公历gōnglì上shàng每年měinián都dōu不bù一样yíyàng。下次xiàcì过guò春节chūnjié，你nǐ不妨bùfáng抬头táitóu看看kànkan夜空yèkōng：除夕chúxī那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang，天上tiānshàng是shì没有méiyǒu月亮yuèliang的de。中国zhōngguó人rén在zài一个yígè看不见kànbujiàn月亮yuèliang的de夜晚yèwǎn迎接yíngjiē新年xīnnián，十五shíwǔ天tiān以后yǐhòu，又yòu在zài元宵节yuánxiāojié这zhè一yì年nián的de第一dìyī个gè圆月yuányuè下xià，把bǎ年nián过guò完wán。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
将近	jiāngjìn	nearly; almost; close to
固定	gùdìng	fixed; regular; to fix; to fasten
圆	yuán	round; circular; circle
消失	xiāoshī	to disappear; to vanish
绕	rào	to go around; to circle
计算	jìsuàn	to calculate; to compute; calculation
古代	gǔdài	ancient times; antiquity
位置	wèizhì	position; place; location
除夕	chúxī	New Year's Eve (esp. Lunar New Year's Eve)
天上	tiānshàng	in the sky; in heaven
迎接	yíngjiē	to welcome; to meet; to greet
相差	xiāngchà	to differ; to be apart (by an amount)

English (for the teacher)

In 2025 Spring Festival fell on 29 January, but in 2026 it came on 17 February, almost three weeks apart. No wonder many foreign friends are puzzled: why is the most important Chinese holiday on a different date every year? In fact the day of Spring Festival never changes at all: it is always the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar. What changes is the gap between the lunar calendar and the Western one.

A “month” in the lunar calendar follows the moon. From the moon being completely invisible, to slowly growing round, to disappearing again, one cycle takes about twenty-nine and a half days. So on the first day of each lunar month, the chuyi, you can hardly see the moon at night, and around the fifteenth the moon is at its roundest. There is a Chinese saying, “the moon of the fifteenth is roundest on the sixteenth”, which means the moon is sometimes a day late to be at its roundest. Because the cycle is not a whole number of days, some lunar months have thirty days and some only twenty-nine.

And that is exactly where the problem lies. Twelve of these months add up to roughly three hundred and fifty-four days, around eleven days fewer than the three hundred and sixty-five it takes the Earth to go round the sun once. If you leave it alone, Spring Festival comes earlier every year, and in a dozen or so years it would become a summer holiday. The Islamic calendar goes entirely by the moon, and as a result Ramadan sometimes falls in the heat of summer and sometimes in the cold of winter.

To make up for this error, ancient astronomers came up with a clever solution: every two or three years, add an extra month to the year, called a “leap month”. About seven are added every nineteen years, and a year with a leap month has thirteen months in all. Which month it follows depends on the twenty-four solar terms; in other words, on the position of the sun. So the Chinese calendar is not really a pure “moon calendar”, but a system that takes care of the moon and the sun at the same time. That is why Spring Festival usually falls on the second first-of-the-month after the winter solstice. On the Western calendar it always falls between 21 January and 20 February, sometimes earlier and sometimes later, but always just as winter is about to end and spring is about to arrive.

Today Chinese people use the Western calendar for work and school, but for festivals they still go by the lunar calendar. Many older people also keep their birthdays by the lunar calendar, so their birthday lands on a different Western date every year. Next Spring Festival, why not look up at the night sky: on New Year’s Eve there is no moon. Chinese people welcome the new year on a night when the moon can’t be seen, and fifteen days later, at the Lantern Festival, they finish celebrating it under the first full moon of the year.