How to Use the Chinese Birth Chart

Use This Ancient Method to Predict Your Baby's Gender

Nurses and parents massage newborn babies at Xining Children Hospital on May 17, 2006
China Photos/Getty Images News/Getty Images

While modern day technologies like ultrasounds help determine the sex of a baby, there are also traditional ways of guessing the answer to this exciting question. For hundreds of years, the Chinese birth chart has helped many expecting couples predict whether they are having a boy or a girl.

Unlike ultrasounds that require 4 to 5 months of pregnancy before the baby's sex can be ascertained, the Chinese birth chart lets couples immediately predict their baby's gender once it is conceived. If you're an overly curious couple dying to know if the baby room should be painted blue or pink, learn how to use this traditional chart!

Where the Chinese Birth Chart Comes From

Invented during the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese birth chart has been used for over 300 years. The chart was kept by royal eunichs and only used by nobles and concubines.

When the Eight Nation Alliance entered China in the late Qing Dynasty, military forces took the chart. The Chinese birth chart was taken to England where it was translated into English for the King’s sole use until it was later disclosed to the public.

Accuracy

The Chinese birth chart is based on factors such as the Five Elementsyin and yang, and the lunar calendar. With proponents claiming that the Chinese birth chart is highly accurate, you should take these predictions with a grain of salt. Even ultrasounds can be wrong! 

How To Use the Chinese Birth Chart

The first step is to convert Western calendar months to lunar calendar months. Then, locate the lunar month of conception. After that, figure out the age of the mother at the time of conception.

Using these two pieces of information on the chart, you can now use the chart. The intersection of the month of conception and the mother’s age at the time of conception on the chart reveals the predicted sex of the baby. For example, a 30-year-old woman who conceived in lunar January 2011 (February 2011 in the Western calendar) is predicted to have a boy. 

Use the Chinese birth chart below to guess the sex of your soon-to-be newborn!

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
18 Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy
19 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Girl Girl
20 Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Girl Boy Boy
21 Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl
22 Girl Boy Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl
23 Boy Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy Girl
24 Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl
25 Girl Boy Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy
26 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl
27 Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy Girl Girl
28 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy Girl Girl
29 Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Girl Girl Girl
30 Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Boy Boy
31 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Boy
32 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Boy
33 Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy
34 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Boy Boy
35 Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Boy
36 Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy
37 Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy
38 Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl
39 Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl
40 Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl
41 Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy
42 Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl
43 Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy Boy
44 Boy Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl
45 Girl Boy Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy
Format
mla apa chicago
Your Citation
Mack, Lauren. "How to Use the Chinese Birth Chart." ThoughtCo, Sep. 24, 2021, thoughtco.com/chinese-birth-chart-687449. Mack, Lauren. (2021, September 24). How to Use the Chinese Birth Chart. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/chinese-birth-chart-687449 Mack, Lauren. "How to Use the Chinese Birth Chart." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/chinese-birth-chart-687449 (accessed March 19, 2024).