Overview
Supports dates from 1900-2100 with accurate Chinese New Year dates. Also provides the position in the 60-year Sexagenary cycle and personality traits. Look up by date or search for years matching a specific animal.
Endpoint
One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/chinesezodiac?date=1990-01-15" \
-H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here"const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/chinesezodiac?date=1990-01-15', {
headers: { 'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here' },
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);import requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/chinesezodiac?date=1990-01-15",
headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json()["data"])package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
)
func main() {
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/chinesezodiac?date=1990-01-15", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")
res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
defer res.Body.Close()
out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(out))
}Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.
Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.
A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.
Parameters
Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
dateRequired | string | The date in YYYY-MM-DD format (years 1900-2100) date |
Response
Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"date": "1990-01-15",
"zodiacYear": 1989,
"animal": "Snake",
"animalChinese": "蛇",
"element": "Earth",
"elementChinese": "土",
"elementColor": "Yellow/Brown",
"polarity": "Yin",
"traits": [
"Enigmatic",
"Intelligent",
"Wise",
"Decisive"
],
"sexagenaryCyclePosition": 6,
"fullName": "Earth Snake",
"chineseNewYear": "1990-01-27"
}
}Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
date | string | "1990-01-15" | Year associated with the zodiac animal |
zodiacYear | number | 1989 | Zodiac year based on Chinese lunar calendar |
animal | string | "Snake" | English name of zodiac animal |
animalChinesePremium | string | "蛇" | Chinese character representation of zodiac animal |
element | string | "Earth" | Element associated with zodiac year |
elementChinesePremium | string | "土" | Chinese character for element association |
elementColorPremium | string | "Yellow/Brown" | Color representation of the element |
polarity | string | "Yin" | Yin or Yang polarity classification |
traitsPremium | array | [Enigmatic, ...] | Personality traits associated with zodiac sign |
sexagenaryCyclePositionPremium | number | 6 | Position in the 60-year sexagenary cycle |
fullName | string | "Earth Snake" | Combined element and animal zodiac name |
chineseNewYearPremium | string | "1990-01-27" | Date of Chinese New Year for that year |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted | A key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart; see rate limits. |
Use cases
- Astrology Apps
- Display accurate Chinese zodiac for birth dates
- Birthday Features
- Show zodiac details accounting for lunar calendar
- Cultural Content
- Educational information about Chinese traditions
- Personalization
- Match users with their zodiac characteristics
Other ways to use Chinese Zodiac
Set up Chinese Zodiac on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Related
More in Astrology: