HEARTLESS

There are three ways to name a Chinese year:

1. By an animal (like a mascot).
2008 is known as the Year of the Rat.
2009 is the Year of the Ox.
There are 12 animal names; so by this system, year names are repeated every 12 years.
2. By its Formal Name (Stem-Branch).
   2008 is the year of Wu Zi.

   2009 is the Year of Ji Chou.

   In the 'Stem-Branch' system, the years are counted in 60-year Cycles, so that the Name of the Year is repeated every 60 years.
   2008 is the 9-th year in the current 60-year Cycle.
   2009 is the 10-th year in the current 60-year Cycle.

   A "Cycle" is analogous to a "century" in the International Calendar system which is 100 years long.

3. 2008 year is Year 4705 in the Chinese Calendar.

   [A few Chinese astrological/zodiac websites believe this year should be considered as Year 4706 for zodiac calculations.]
   2009 is Year 4706 in the Chinese Calendar.

Year Of Ox