section_path: Horology/Year
section_name: Year
paragraph_text: Year
  
  A year (年; nián) is based upon the time of one revolution of Earth around the Sun, rounded to whole days. Traditionally, the year is measured from the first day of spring (lunisolar year) or the winter solstice (solar year).
  
  A 12-month-year using this system has 354 days, which would drift significantly from the tropical year. To fix this, traditional Chinese years have a 13-month year approximately once every three years. The 13-month version has the same long and short months alternating, but adds a 30-day leap month (閏月; rùnyuè). Years with 12 months are called common years, and 13-month years are known as long years.
  
  A solar year is astronomically about 365 + 31 ⁄ 128 days. A lunisolar calendar year is either 353–355 or 383–385 days long. The lunisolar calendar (日曆; rìlì) year usually begins on the new moon closest to Lichun, the first day of spring. This is typically the second and sometimes third new moon after the winter solstice.
  
  The lunisolar year begins with the first spring month, Zhēngyuè (正月; ' capital month '), and ends with the last winter month, Làyuè (臘月; 腊月; ' sacrificial month '). All other months are named for their number in the month order. See below on the timing of the Chinese New Year.