辛亥 (xīnhài): xinhai (48th year of the 60-yea…

Meanings

1 xinhai (48th year of the 60-year sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1911, 1971, 2031)
2 shorthand for the 1911 Xinhai Revolution

Characters

辛

12th earthly branch (Pig)

Examples

辛亥革命推翻了清朝。

Xīnhài gémìng tuīfānle Qīngcháo.

The Xinhai Revolution overthrew the Qing dynasty.

今年是辛亥年。

Jīnnián shì xīnhài nián.

This year is a xinhai year (in the sexagenary cycle).

Tips

history

辛亥 most often refers to 1911, the year Sun Yat-sen's revolution (辛亥革命 Xīnhài Gémìng) ended over 2,000 years of imperial rule and founded the Republic of China.

culture

Each year in the traditional Chinese calendar pairs one of 10 Heavenly Stems (天干) with one of 12 Earthly Branches (地支), making a 60-year cycle. 辛亥 = 辛 (8th stem) + 亥 (12th branch, the Pig).