An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A → lunisolar calendar in which the years are named after each of the following twelve animals: rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog, pig. An animal presides over one year in the twelve-year cycle, which is then repeated. The calendar was/is mainly used by central Asian cultures (Khotanese, Sogdians, Buddhists, Kucheans, Mongols, and Chinese). It was also used in Iran after the Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century.

See also: → duodecennial; → animal; → calendar.