Solar Terms for the month of Ren Zi / (Yang) Water Rat / November in the year of Ren Yin / (Yang) Water Tiger 2022.

7th of December, Wednesday is the changeover day, from Hai / Pig month to the month of Zi / Rat. In the Chinese luni-solar calendar, there are 2 months to go before the next year of Gui Mao / (Yin) Water Rat starts. In the international calendar, it is the last month for the year 2022. The social mood of people is focussed on the festive year end period celebrating Christmas Day and New Years Day. 

In 2022 Singapore went from COVID-related pandemic lockdown restrictions to the country fully opening up. Quite a change in circumstances. Singapore citizens are free to travel abroad again, depending on their destination countries' restriction. Air fares for the Christmas festive period in late December and for the Chinese Lunar New Year period in January are already at their highs. 

An important date in the Chinese festive calendar is Winter Solstice or Dōng Zhì that falls on 22 December 2022. Besides being the mid-month Solar Term marker, it also marks a Yin/Yang transition, as Yin reaches its maximum, Yang is born. 

12 Sexagenary Pairs (Tian Gan and Di Zi) of the 12 months of the year of Ren Yin Water Tiger 2022

(one month of the year of Ren Yin goes into January 2023)

Besides assigning a pair of the 60 Sexagenary Pairs (Jia Zi) to the year, a pair is also assigned to every month of the solar part of the Chinese luni-solar calendar. 

For example, in the year of Ren Yin 2022, all 12 solar months are assigned a Tian Gan Di Zi 天干地支 pair, beginning with Ren Yin 壬寅 (coincidentally the same as for the year this year) for the month beginning with Li Chun (Spring Begins). The following month starting with the solar term Jing Ze (Awakening of Insects) is assigned Gui Mao 癸卯, and so forth, as illustrated in the graphics above drawn up by myself. 

The same 60 pairs of Tian Gan Di Zi are rotated also for the day and for the hour, resulting in 4 Pillars of Year, Month, Day and hour. This is why Ba Zi is also called 4 Pillars. 

As you can tell by now, in a Ba Zi chart, there are actually 4 possibilities for the 12 Di Zi (used for the annual zodiac signs). There is a possibility of up to 4 different zodiac signs appearing in the year, month, day and hour pillars. The annual zodiac signs luck articles that you can read around the Chinese Lunar New Year festive period is based on the concept of Tai Sui (the year) and the related stars. A Ba Zi chart reading is different in that all 4 pillars are included in the analysis, and the technique is heavily based on the 5 Elements Theory, with the reference point shifted to the Day Master element instead of the Year. 

If you like to book your Ba Zi birth chart reading now, it is priced at $150 per hour. It includes strengths and weakness analysis, versus the 10-year trigger influence pillar and the annual year pillar trigger influence. 

2022 - Year of Ren Yin Water Tiger 壬寅

(1) How many "New Year's Day" are there in a year? 

There are 3 "New Year's Days":

(i) 1st of January, 2022 (International Gregorian Calendar)

(ii) 1st of February, 2022 - Lunar New Year (based on the orbit of moon around earth), and 

(iii) 4th of February, 2022 - Li Chun day or Spring Begins solar term, beginning of the solar calendar of the Chinese luni-solar calendar (based on the orbit of earth around the sun).

(Note) Although I use the word "orbit", the ancient Chinese mapped the path of the moon in its waxing and waning phases across the night sky, and likewise used the Gnomon stick's sun shadow to track the path of the sun across the sky. 

For all of the three first-days of the year, you can construct a Ba Zi chart for the beginning hour of the day and analyse them for the 5 elements interaction. It means that there will be 3 different Ba Zi charts with different meanings and interpretations according to different masters. Confusing isn't it? Some masters prefer to just use the sexagenary pair of Tian Gan and Di Zi for the year to get a general "feel" of the elements for the year. 

*add-edit (Dong Zhi/Winter Solstice on December 21st, 2021 was the start of Yang (Qi) and is also considered a new year of sorts by some)

(2) What are the elements of the Water (Black) Tiger year?

Using the 60 Jia Zi sexagenary pairs, the year of 2022 is rotated to the 39th pair of the 60 pairs cycle. (note the 60 pairs cycle are used on a rotation basis for the year, month, day and si-chen/2 hour pillars)   

壬

ren (yang water)

寅

yin (Tiger)

甲

jia (yang wood)

丙

bing (yang fire)

戊

wu (yang earth)

The 4 elements present in the year are

Water

Wood

Fire, and

Earth

(3) Why is it a Black Tiger? 

Each of the 5 elements are assigned an "official" colour, in ancient times, based on the availability of these colours in nature. 

Water - Black

Wood - Green

Fire - Red

Earth - Yellow

Metal - White (or Gold) 

As black is not considered an auspicious colour in Chinese customs, you will hardly hear any mention of  2022 as the year of the Black Tiger. Also, as gold is associated with money and wealth, every year's Zodiac is described auspiciously as "gold zodiac sign" year in Chinese, but that "gold" is more of a Chinese auspicious meaning word than referring to the actual element of the year.  

If you are asking about what auspicious colours are for the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities, you are better off following these Chinese traditions and customs:

(i) It is called the Spring Festival - so your dress up theme is flowers and nature. Bright flowery prints and embroidery to symbolise Spring, new beginnings, rejuvenation and growth.

(ii) The Chinese colour of celebration and happiness is red. That is why you see so much red being used in the Chinese design and decorations.

(iii) Gold represents money and wealth, and so a prosperous colour is considered auspicious.

(iv) Auspicious words - we like to wish everyone a good start for the year, so the Chinese word 福 is always used. "Fu" is one of those Chinese words that gets lost in translation in English to mean good fortune, lucky, auspicious, etc. Like the word "Qi", it encompasses a whole concept. 

(4) What is the year like for 2022?

The elements of the year are in harmony, in a productive cycle flow of water to wood to fire to earth, and (implied) earth to metal. On the surface the signs look good, and that is a welcome news for the current world situation. However (there is a however), the Tiger sign has its secret liaisons, friends and allies besides the usual harmonious connection to Horse, Dog and Pig zodiac signs. 

Beware of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" of 2022. There is still an element of surprise.

Each year's sexagenary pair will meets its direct clash by count of six months in a year, and 2022's Ren Yin has direct element clashes when the autumn months come from 7th of August onwards. In Ba Zi birth chart analysis, clashes and combines can be double edged swords, but when just analysing for the year in general, clashes are taken to mean "not good". Care and caution advised especially for the Autumn months starting from August 7th (Solar term Autumn Begins is on this day) onwards.

(5) How is my zodiac sign going to do in 2022?

This is always a very popular topic during Chinese Lunar New Year time, you can see people stopping to read 12 zodiac predictions printed on the Lunar New Year decorations at shopping malls. 

The thing is, what is given free is just very general advice based on data gathered from the Chinese Farmer's Almanac and ancient texts/formula. 

The best way to get accurate information, personalised to you is get a Ba Zi birth chart reading based on your date of birth and time. You can get to know the 10 year and annual triggers that are influencing you and your decision making. 

In the absence of a one-to-one consultation, when reading zodiac predictions for the year, just take them as light infotainment. They are written to be too general to be accurate, and are also too general to be wrong.

That being said, I do write such infotainment articles and this year, you can read it in print on the ANA inflight magazines if you read Japanese. Or, you can catch my tv interview on CNBC Asia. 

In general:

Smooth ride in a turbulent water year for the following 5 zodiac signs

Pig 

Ox 

Tiger 

Rabbit 

Goat:

7 Zodiac signs with a bumpy ride

Monkey (direct clash with the Tiger)

Rat 

Dragon 

Snake 

Rooster 

Horse 

Dog

Talking Lunar New Year 2022 on CNBC Asia - Year of Ren Yin Yang Water Tiger