dragon year

English

Etymology

A loan translation from Chinese, equivalent to Mandarin 龍年／龙年 (lóng nián, “dragon year”).

Pronunciation

(Singapore) IPA(key): /ˈdɹæɡənˌjɜː(ɹ)/

Noun

dragon year (plural dragon years)

  1. (Singapore) A year that corresponds with the fifth animal sign in the Chinese zodiac and occurs once every 12 years.
    • 1988 January 29, “The path of the Dragon”, in The Business Times, Singapore, page 18:
      The Dragon takes over from the Rabbit on Feb 17, but according to a prominent astrologer, the Dragon Year actually dawns on Feb 4.
    • 2012 January 23, Biz-Community (Cape Town), South Africa; Fierce Financial Management for the Year of the Dragon, Africa News:
      The dragon is the symbol of power and wealth, but being born in a dragon year is more the financial equivalent of having a strong tail wind.
    • 2013 August 13, Imelda Saad, “S'pore seems on track for similar birth numbers as last year”, in Channel NewsAsia, Singapore:
      Last year, there were more than 42,600 live births, boosted by the auspicious Dragon Year.
    • 2015 February 24, Rosie Cima, How the Chinese Zodiac Affects National Birth Rates‎:
      In 2011 and 2012, prospective parents in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore admitted to consciously timing their pregnancy for a dragon year.

Usage notes

Commonly used in spoken English and in newspapers.

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