The Chinese gender calendar, or Chinese conception chart, is a guide that some people use to predict the sex of an unborn baby. Others use the chart as a guide when trying to conceive so they can increase their chances of conceiving a girl or a boy. Either way, the chart can be a fun tool to use when you or your partner is planning to start a family or add to your brood.
What Is the Chinese Conception Chart?
The Chinese conception chart predicts a baby's sex by using the mother's lunar age and the lunar month of conception. Some people use the chart to make a prediction about whether they are carrying a baby boy or a baby girl before they can have an ultrasound to confirm the sex of their baby. Others use the Chinese gender chart as a planning tool, and try to conceive during the months that the calendar suggests they will conceive a boy or a girl, depending on which gender they prefer.
Origins
Legend has it that the ancient Chinese gender chart was invented at the start of the Qing dynasty in China, using the principles of I Ching, which is one of the five Chinese classic texts. It is believed that the chart was created for the imperial family as a tool to conceive baby boys. Boys were favored because they would inherit their father's esteemed positions and pass down the family lineage. The chart was buried over 700 years ago in the tomb of a Chinese emperor. The chart was discovered hundreds of years later and the original is now housed in the Institute of Science in Beijing.
Accuracy
There is no scientific evidence that confirms the accuracy of the calendar, but many people are convinced that it is accurate because it worked for them. Some Chinese lunar calendar websites claim the chart is accurate 93% of the time. However, research studies exploring the accuracy of the gender prediction calendar determined that it is no more accurate than the toss of a coin, with a 50.2% accuracy rate.
How to Use the Chinese Gender Calendar
The Chinese gender chart uses lunar dates to make the prediction of a baby's gender. For this reason, you need to calculate the pregnant person's age according to the lunar calendar (lunar age), not the Gregorian calendar. In general, you are 1 to 2 years older in the Chinese lunar calendar because of the difference between the two calendar systems. There are many tools online to help you calculate your lunar age, such as this one on Everyday Calculation.
The chart contains blue and pink boxes, with the months of the year across the top and a series of numbers down the side, starting with 18 and ending with 45. The months signify the month of conception, and the number column represents the age of the mother at the time of conception.
Using the Chart to Determine Gender
Follow these steps to use the calendar to determine your baby's gender:
- Calculate your lunar age when the baby was conceived. For example, if your birthday is August 25, 1989, you would be 34 years old in lunar years in February 2022, even if you are only 33 years old by western calendar standards.
- Determine the lunar month of your baby's conception. This calculator can help.
- Look at the Chinese gender chart and look at the numbers going down the leftmost column to find your lunar age.
- Then, look at the numbers on the top row to find the lunar month of conception.
- The box where your lunar age and your baby's lunar conception month meet is the gender prediction for the baby.
- If the box is blue, it's a boy. If the box is pink, it's a girl.
Using the Chart to Conceive a Boy or a Girl
Since the Chinese conception calendar claims it can accurately predict a baby's gender based on the birthing parent's lunar age and the lunar month of conception, many people who want to conceive a boy or a girl use it as a tool to determine when to try to get pregnant. This is used to boost their chances of having a boy or a girl, depending on which they prefer.
For example, if your lunar age is 29 and you want to try to get pregnant with a girl, you would try to conceive in either January, March, April, October, November, or December.
Fun Ways to Use the Chinese Conception Chart
If you enjoy gender guessing games, the Chinese gender calendar can be an enjoyable method to use, even if it isn't accurate. This method can be a fun way to guess if your baby is a boy or a girl. Or, it can be used to try to conceive a boy or a girl, depending on what you are hoping for. There's no harm in using the calendar or trying other fun gender prediction tests, such as the wedding ring test. Many people use these tests as fun games during baby showers to get friends and family involved.
If you use the test, just remember to take the results with a grain of salt and don't make any major decisions - such as deciding how to decorate the nursery - based on what the chart says.
