How to hide from your interlocutor that you read his message

How to make a read message unread

Accidentally read a message and regret it? Do you want to return it to unread status and pretend that you didn’t watch it? Say “thank you” to the VKontakte developers, this is impossible to do in 2021. After changing the design and functionality of the “Personal Messages” block, that is, switching to the “Dialogue” mode, the ability to mark a letter unread disappeared, as did the old list of personal messages. So, don’t waste your time searching “how to bring back yesterday” and in the future, use the methods of viewing messages that I described above.

How to read VKontakte messages without marking them as read

If the user sent a short message, then everything is very simple. Go to your messages and read the sent text without opening the dialogue. If there are several messages, enter the user’s full first and last name in the search bar (for example, Anya Kaminskaya), and a list with all his messages will open in front of you.

But if there is an ellipsis at the end of the visible part of the message text, it means that it is not fully displayed.

To read the entire text of the message, you can use various programs. I will show you using AutoVK and VK-Robot as an example. We will download all correspondence from Vkontakte and select the dialogue that interests us.

The method may take time if you have a large history of correspondence on your profile. But...if you really want to read messages from a computer or laptop, and there is no other way, then perhaps it’s worth it.

Please note that it is not always safe to download various programs for VKontakte from the Internet. There is a possibility of catching a virus, or that your username and password will fall into the hands of another person.

Using AutoVK

Download the AutoVK program from the official website - it is indicated in the screenshot below in the lower right corner: AutoVK.ru.com.

Enter your username and password, then click on the “Authorization” button.

Now the first and last name specified in your VKontakte profile should appear in the lower left corner. If everything is so, click on the “Messages” button.

Next you need to select the “Download all correspondence” option.

In the next window you need to select a folder on your computer where all dialogs will be downloaded. I created a “Downloaded correspondence” folder on my desktop in advance. I select it and click “OK”.

Wait for the process to complete and a window with the message “Done” appears.

We look for the selected folder and open it.

It will show files - the entire dialogue with one person, this is a separate file. “Chat_#_1” is a conversation in which you are participating. The name of each file is the page id of the user with whom the correspondence took place.

To find the dialogue that interests us, we do the following. You need to find out the id of the person whose message you want to read. There is a detailed article on this topic: how to find out your VKontakte id.

We go to the page of the user we need on VK and copy his id from the address bar of the browser. Next, in Explorer, click on the search bar and paste the copied number there.

As a result of the search, only one file will remain in the “Downloaded Correspondence” folder. Open it.

A correspondence with the selected person will open in the notepad. The date and time of the message sent will be indicated at the beginning of each line.

As you can see, the text at the top is what I need.

Make it easy to read.

You have read what the person wrote to you, but the VKontakte message is still displayed as unread on both your page and his page.

Using VK-Robot

You can read a message unnoticed by another user using the VK-Robot program. With its help, we will also download and view the correspondence.

Download the program from the Internet and unpack the archive. There is no need to install it; just run the executable file with the .*exe extension.

The VK-Robot program is paid, but there is a trial period of 5 days. When it ends, some of the functions will simply become unavailable, but you can still use them.

The main window of VK-Robot looks like this. Immediately go to Settings.

On the “Accounts” tab, enter “Login” and “Password” for your VKontakte page and click “Add account”. After that, it should appear in the field on the right. Click "Save" and close the settings window.

Now click on the arrow next to the word “Export”. From the drop-down menu, select “Export Dialogues”.

Specify your account and click “Select”.

Then select the folder into which all dialogs will be downloaded and click OK. My folder is the same as in the previous paragraph. If you haven't created a folder beforehand, then do it now by clicking "Create Folder".

Wait until all dialogues have been downloaded.

Find the selected folder and go into it. Here all files will be signed - this is the first and last name of the user with whom you corresponded. They are arranged in alphabetical order. Click on the file whose messages you want to read.

The text I need is shown at the very top because it was the last message from this user. The time and date when it was sent are indicated at the end of the message text.

Read what a friend, or a complete stranger, writes to you, and be calm - he won’t know about it.

Discreetly read messages on your phone

On mobile phones, regardless of the platform, the situation is similar, without providing by default tools for unnoticed reading and, moreover, a browser console. For this reason, resource vulnerabilities, as well as third-party software, are very different from previously presented solutions.

Method 1: Disabling the Internet

The “Messages” section in the official VKontakte mobile application differs significantly from the website in terms of loading dialogues. It is precisely due to the fact that all received messages are loaded instantly when the section itself is opened that it becomes possible to use the application with the Internet turned off.

1. Using the menu at the bottom of the application, open the “Messages” section and find the desired conversation in advance. It is important that the partition is fully loaded at this point.



2. Without closing it, just minimize VKontakte and open the curtain or the “Settings” system application. Here you need to disable the Internet using instructions in accordance with the platform you are using.

   

   Read more: How to turn off the Internet on iOS Setting up the Internet on Android

3. Expand the app again and make sure that the "Network Waiting" notification appears instead of the Messages section title. It is after this that you can open the dialogue of interest, read the information and close it, leaving it unread for the interlocutor.



The main and only thing you should pay attention to is the signature “Waiting for network” not only on the main page, but also under the title of the dialogue. If this notification is missing, messages will be marked as read.

The method is quite relevant for any platforms with the official VK client, but may be removed in the future along with corrections. Be that as it may, such a solution should not cause difficulties.

Method 2: Kate Mobile

On the Android platform, in addition to the vulnerabilities of the official application, you can use the alternative Kate Mobile client, which has a lot of features, including an invisible mode and the ability to leave messages unread. At the same time, there is no need to turn off the Internet, but, as on the website, there is a restriction on any activity in the dialogue while reading.

1. After installing the application from any section, tap the menu button in the upper right corner of the screen and select “Settings”. As a result, the general application settings should open.



2. Through the presented list of subsections, go to the “Online” page and check the “Close unread” box. You can also find a detailed description of the function here.



Read also:  How much does 1 vote cost in VK and what can you get for it?
3. Now exit Settings and open the Messages tab. Tap any unread conversation to view the information received.

If you strictly followed the instructions, simply turning on the option and viewing the dialogue, without even trying to type anything of your own, all the content sent by the interlocutor will be marked unread. Of all the methods presented today, Kate Mobile is the most recommended option due to its convenience.

Method No. 2. Unread messages in VK via the Kate Mobile application

1. Install Kate Mobile on your phone
2. Go to Settings Settings in Kate Mobile
3. Go to the Online item Online setup in Kate Mobile
4. Check the Close unread box

   
   Leave a message unread in Kate Mobile

5. Enter a dialogue with the user, read the messages, but they will remain unread.

Universal method

Every person at least once wanted to hide the fact of reading someone else's message. Sometimes this happens because you don’t want to respond now or show that the text has been viewed. The interlocutor will see that you noticed the message, but did not respond. Awkward situations arise, sometimes people get offended and don’t get in touch in the future. This method of how to read a message on Instagram so that it remains unread works in all instant messengers and social networks.

Any service leaves loopholes for users. One of them is that all sent messages are displayed in the notification panel. Modern gadgets allow you to open them and view them without going into the application. The method does not work when too much text is sent. This way, you will be able to read small remarks from your interlocutor or several interlocutors at once, without appearing online.

There is an additional loophole for owners of smartphones running the iOS operating system. Swipe your finger to the left over the message that appears in the taskbar. This will reveal the rest of the message that did not fit in the preview. The same feature is available to many Android devices produced recently. However, it is still impossible to read very long texts in full.

The second option, which does not work on all social networks, is to turn off the Internet. Thus, having turned off the network, you read the dialogue in the program. The message will not be marked as read until the gadget connects to the Internet again. Unfortunately, this is not the most convenient option. Walking for a long time without the Internet is not very convenient, and often impossible in modern realities.

Method 2: on your computer in the Chrome or Firefox browser

First you need to open personal messages using the link:

vk.com/im?q=day:11022021&tab=unread

The date in the link must always be today's date (DDMMYYYY), so the link here is updated every day.

Just open the link, don’t click anywhere, don’t open messages, read on! At this moment, you can see all messages as “read”, that is, on a white background. Don’t be alarmed; in fact, they still haven’t been read—you can verify this by returning to your “Messages” section.

Find messages from the person you want in the list. You may have to scroll down.

You will see the beginning of each message. If the message is long, then it seems to be cut off, with an ellipsis at the end:

How to view the entire message and leave it “unread”? In the Chrome or Firefox browser, do this:

1. Right - click on the message text to bring up the context menu.
2. Select View element code or Inspect - usually it is at the very end of the menu. The Code Inspector window will open.
3. Press the right arrow [→] on the keyboard to expand the selected page element in the inspector, or expand it with the mouse - left click on the triangle.
4. The full text of the message appears in the inspector.
5. Continuing to follow steps 1-3, you can read other messages. You can’t just click on them with the left button, in which case they will be “read”.
6. After viewing the messages, close the inspector window with a cross and do not touch anything else. The message will remain unread.

The described method does not always work.

The date in the link is always today's date. It will change to the next one if you open our instructions on vhod.ru tomorrow. This is necessary to show all messages, including the most recent ones. If you read a copy of the article on some other site, then the link there will be old. You can specify a different date - in this case, messages sent before the specified date will be shown.

Android

WhatsApp for Android provides two options for, so to speak, changing the appearance of messages you have viewed in the messenger. Users who carry out one or another of the activities described below receive completely different results, which means that calling the described options is performed for different purposes.

Option 1: For yourself

If you receive a message on WhatsApp and understand that you need to return to it for more careful study and/or provide a response to the sender later, you can do the following:

1. Close the dialogue or group where you received a message that you do not want to forget about in the future, that is, move from it to the “CHATS” section of the messenger.

   

2. On the “CHATS” tab of WhatsApp, find the title of the conversation containing the message being turned into “unread”, and long press to highlight it - set a mark on the avatar of the interlocutor or the logo of the group chat.

   

3. Call up the menu by tapping on the three dots at the top right of the screen. In the list of options applicable to the chat, select “Mark as unread.”

   

4. As a result of performing the above actions, a mark in the form of a green circle will appear under the date of receipt of the last message in the correspondence, signaling that you have “postponed” reading messages from the selected conversation for the future.

   

5. To remove the mark obtained as a result of following the previous steps of the instructions, simply open the chat that is equipped with it. Or perform the same actions as described above in relation to the “unread” conversation - now the menu of options applicable to the chat will contain the “Mark as read” item.

   

Option 2: For the sender

If you do not want their senders to know that you have viewed messages on WhatsApp, you can disable the broadcast of the graphic “Read” status (two blue checkmarks) for all messages in individual chats.

How to quietly read messages on Facebook

Officially, this possibility is not provided. But there are solutions from third-party developers.

If you use the Google Chrome browser, then download the Unseen for Facebook extension. Once installed, it will automatically hide the read status from your interlocutors.

Application not found

Go to store Search on Google

If you prefer Firefox, there is a similar plugin for this browser - Message Seen Disable for Facebook.

Download QR Code

Message Seen Disable for Facebook™ by Baris Derin

Developer: Developer

Price: Free

Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to hide the read status in the mobile version. So, if you need to ignore someone, you will have to use Facebook on your computer.

For what reasons may the “Read” sign be missing and what to do?

Sometimes the caption disappears and the user wonders how to find out if a message on Instagram has been read in such a situation. At the moment, there are several reasons why the inscription is missing:

• The message was not read or the interlocutor did not access the Internet for 24 hours.
• The application was not opened by the user, and the notification did not arrive. A person’s status is shown by a green circle icon next to their avatar. It may be missing if the user has prohibited showing the status in the settings, or it may be missing.
• Sent messages end up in the spam basket.
• You are on the black list or are not subscribed to your interlocutor. In such cases, sending is either limited, or messages will become available after the interlocutor's permission, respectively.
• The message is purposefully ignored.

Thus, the new option has made life easier for all profiles registered on Instagram. It has become easier to communicate, because you can always see whether they are ignoring you. The easiest way to view messages at the moment is to read them in the notification shade.

How to celebrate the New Year of the Ox correctly

Decorating the house and Christmas tree

Particular attention should be paid to the decoration of the house and the festive table. The Bull values ​​home warmth and comfort. It is better to decorate the house and decorate the Christmas tree in calm pastel colors. The festive table must be covered with a snow-white tablecloth. It is better to use dishes in white or metallic colors. You can also use a rustic style with appropriate tableware to decorate the table, which will please the symbol of the year.

Candles in white, silver or gold are ideal for table decoration.

A mandatory decoration for your home and table will be a New Year symbol made of wood, glass or metal. Here you should treat the Ox with respect and choose a figurine that is not too funny or funny, and most importantly, it should not have a hint of vulgarity.

The most successful and ideal decoration this New Year will be a snow-white bow made of satin fabric with a white metal bell. This decoration, like nothing else, is ideal for the new symbol of 2021.

If possible, you need to put at least one flower on the table - it is better if it is a tulip, which will definitely bring good luck in the year of the Ox. A fireplace or window sill can be decorated with metal balls. After all, the New Year's animal really loves everything that is attracted by a magnet.

It is strictly forbidden to decorate the house with red decor - after all, this color can cause aggression and anger the Ox for the entire coming year.

Who to celebrate the Year of the Ox with?

The bull is a pet, so it is preferable to celebrate the New Year at home with family and loved ones. Noisy celebrations and parties are not to the liking of the strict Ox. And the New Year itself is considered, first of all, a family holiday. So it’s important not only to welcome 2021 with the whole family, but also to decorate the Christmas tree together and decorate your home, select the New Year’s menu and set the table.

To make the festive night a success, it would be a good idea to select entertainment in advance: it would be nice to write a program for the evening with fun competitions, quizzes and board games. Also, any company will definitely be brought together by watching New Year's films.

Don't worry about your relatives and children during the New Year's festivities and winter holidays! Always know where they are currently or have been during the day, listen to what is happening around them and instantly contact the “Where are my children” application if necessary. With it, your child can stay home alone or go out on their own without fear!

New Year's menu

The Ox does not tolerate negligence, so you need to think about choosing dishes for the New Year's table seriously and in advance. It is better to give preference to plant foods: vegetables, fruits, salads and pickles. Cheeses and dairy products will not be superfluous. But you need to be careful with the meat menu. A treat made from veal or beef can greatly offend the symbol of the year , so this time it is better to use other types of meat.

Not many people know, but in the new year 2021 we will be dealing with a great sweet tooth and, accordingly, a variety of sweets must be present on the New Year's table: cakes, pastries, muffins and pastries with sweet filling.

Among the drinks, the Bull can be pleased with natural tinctures and juices, compote or fruit drink.

What color should you wear to celebrate the New Year?

The main property of the Ox in 2021 - Metal - represents determination, perseverance, struggle and a real iron, unshakable character, and white color is a symbol of purity and modesty. The Ox loves luxury, but at the same time despises pretentiousness. Therefore, it is not so important what clothes you prefer for the New Year: a tight dress or a fluffy skirt, a trouser suit or jeans paired with a sweatshirt. The main thing is that the outfit should suit your figure and look harmonious. Among the materials, you should give preference to silk, satin and satin.

The color of the clothes is important. White will definitely be ideal this year. Astrologers recommend choosing New Year's bows in light, pastel colors. Metallic shades are also welcome. Each color in the palette has its own meaning. For example, if you dream of meeting your love in 2021, you should give preference to silver, lurex items or sequin decor. If you want to get rich, it’s better to wear a white outfit.

The bull loves the green of the grass and the blue of the sky, so you can safely choose blue, purple and green shades - they will help to gain the favor of the totem animal. And the right shiny shoes or handbag will refresh any look.

Men, on the other hand, may not bother preparing a suit at all. It is enough to choose comfortable clothes that suit the occasion. Representatives of the stronger sex can decorate their holiday outfit with an accessory of the desired color, for example, wear a white tie or put a beige handkerchief in their jacket pocket.

A celebration at home does not exclude the appearance of clothing items such as cozy sweatshirts and jeans. Such things can be made elegant and festive due to colors and textures. Sequins, beads and rhinestones will add to the mood.

You can also have a themed party. Here, the most successful option would be to choose clothes with New Year's paraphernalia.

Under no circumstances choose red outfits and animal prints for the holiday. As you know, the Ox does not like the color red. Definitely, your favorite leopard print dress should be put aside for another occasion, so as not to invite disaster. It is also better to push acid shades into the closet. Black color, alas, is also not the most successful color this year . And even its restrained versions will not bring happiness to your life.

Can I use jewelry?

It is possible and even necessary. However, it is worth remembering: the conservative and reserved Ox values ​​sophistication and minimalism, so it is better not to use large jewelry that catches the eye from afar. Preference should be given to rings, earrings, and bracelets made of light metals, such as silver, white gold or platinum. One has only to take into account that the Ox loves real alloys and natural stones, so it is better to refuse cheap jewelry on the main night of the year.

As for hair, the Ox does not like multi-tiered, complex masterpieces, but a simple and light hairstyle will emphasize your elegant look. You can add a festive touch with sparkles or exquisite and not too massive decorations.

Which makeup to choose?

Moderation is also encouraged in makeup. On this New Year's Eve, experts recommend natural, delicate make-up in nude shades. The main thing is that the skin is perfect and smooth. But on the lips you can make a bright accent.

As for eyebrows, today natural eyebrows with a comb-over are in fashion; bright eyebrows with a clear outline are no longer worth drawing. Well, those who are used to sparkling and shining can choose makeup with glitter: everything can sparkle - eye shadow, cheekbones, lipstick and even hairstyle. However, it is important not to overdo it and, if you are wearing a shiny outfit, then it is better to use matte textures in your makeup.

What manicure should I get?

First of all, the manicure should suit your look. For funny designs, it is better to prefer classic French, white or pastel colors or metallic sparkles. The most fashionable combination will be a mix of white and silver colors.

If your soul asks for a brighter and more unusual option, then you should use various types of shiny decor: rhinestones, sequins and 3D stickers. A matte manicure with sparkling elements will look royally luxurious.

What to give to your loved ones?

Finding a good gift is already a responsible task, and now, in the year of the Ox, even more so. You need to give practical gifts, but useless wastefulness will have to wait for now. Of course, this does not apply to soft toys, magnets, mugs and other souvenirs with the image of the owner of the year.

An ideal gift could be snow-white, expensive porcelain or a vase. And you need to approach the choice of jewelry with extreme caution: it is important not to be wasteful, and the jewelry should be expensive and made from natural materials. For girls, bracelets, rings and necklaces made of natural alloys and diamonds are suitable. It is better for men to give necessary, practical things: expensive watches or cufflinks.

Also, the main symbol of the year will appreciate warm things as gifts: gloves, a blanket, a cozy robe - everything that will warm you up and remind you of who gave the gift.

Airplane mode

You must enable this function on your phone before reading SMS from the messenger.

To do this you need:

• go to “Settings”;
• Move the slider next to the “Airplane mode” option.

Now you can open the dialogue and read the correspondence. The interlocutor will not know about the status of the message until the user disables the mode. You can also interrupt Internet access and, by turning off the router or modem, read the correspondence.

If the letter has been viewed, but you need to keep it unread even after activating the mode, then you must:

• leave the chat;
• find the dialog in the list presented, click on it and hold until the settings window appears;
• select “Mark as unread”;
• turn off the “On a plane” function.

By switching to normal mode or turning on the Internet, the interlocutor will see the letter he has read. In this case, the dialogue in WhatsApp will light up in blue.

Restricted method

In the privacy settings, the user can disable the delivery report.

To do this you need:

1. Launch the messenger and go to “Settings” - “Account”.
2. Click on the “Privacy” button.
3. Uncheck the box and move the slider next to the “Reading reports” item.

The disadvantage of this method is that the status of the sent message is not visible to both interlocutors.

Read receipts on WhatsApp.

How can I view my unread messages?

Today, the VKontakte interface allows you to see separately read and unread messages using a convenient sorting function. To view in your list of dialogues those correspondences that contain new, unread letters, you only need to press 2 buttons. The first is to enter the dialogue section, and the second is to find the tabs at the top right in which unread messages are automatically sorted.

In addition, if there are not many messages, you can even see them by color difference without even opening the “Unread” tab. In the standard VKontakte interface, all unread messages are marked in blue, and opposite the “Messages” section the number of dialogues in which there are new messages is displayed.

Using Third Party Applications

An additional installed program will help you make it impossible to see on WhatsApp when a message is read. It can be:

• Offline reader;
• Secret Messenger;
• Unseen - No Last Seen;
• Last seen online hider for WhatsApp;
• WhatSeen - No Last Seen, etc.

The functionality of such applications is similar - most often there are three sections inside - “Chat”, “Voice” and “Images”. Text messages will be displayed in “Chat”, voice messages in “Voice”, and photos and pictures, respectively, in “Images”.

How to make a message unread on WhatsApp:

1. Find and download the application. Standard procedure.
2. Click “Open” and then give all requested permissions.
3. After receiving the notification, open the program and view new messages in the appropriate sections.

We draw the attention of our readers to the fact that this method will only work if the official WhatsApp application is not deleted on the smartphone and is running. In addition, if you open the office. application and go into chats previously viewed through the mentioned programs, the messages in them will receive the “Read” status.

What to expect from the symbol of 2021?

The symbol of the new year 2021 will be the White Metal Bull. This is the second totem animal in the twelve-year cycle of the Eastern (Chinese) calendar. Residents of the Celestial Empire believe that each sign of the Chinese zodiac rules its own year, can change fate and greatly influences human health. Therefore, it is so necessary to gain the favor of this sign and win its trust and favor - then good luck will certainly accompany you.

The symbol of the year will definitely help a person in any of his endeavors, if, of course, they are for the good. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully prepare for the holiday, remember folk traditions, take into account all the signs and recommendations of astrologers so that the coming year will be successful.

2021 follows the leap year and promises to be calm. The symbol of this year is the Ox, which personifies the following qualities:

• hard work;
• strength;
• reliability;
• honesty;
• determination.

The element of 2021 – metal – multiplies these qualities. Therefore, the Metal Bull is the very embodiment of reliability. At the same time, the main color of the coming year – white – means self-confidence. This is a time for pragmatists, reliable and reserved people.

Reasonable and conservative, the Ox is hardworking and values ​​family ties. For those who work honestly, the Ox will definitely help them achieve a long-awaited promotion, make a profitable investment, or receive a good reward for their work. As for the emotional plan, the year should be calm. The steadfastness of the representative of the Chinese calendar will help with this. Vanity should be avoided so as not to fall out of favor with the symbol of the year. Also, the year of the Ox promises to be successful for business and friendly meetings, and especially for finding your soul mate.

Read on Instagram

Let’s take a closer look at how to find out whether a person has read a message on Instagram from gadgets on various operating systems. The question began to appear frequently after the addition of a new feature and continues to be asked by inexperienced users to this day. Direct was originally created for communicating with each other. It also has a read indicator that notifies both interlocutors. Over time, the functions began to multiply, and it became possible to create large groups where up to fifteen people correspond. Let's consider its use on Androids and iPhones:

• How to know that a message on Instagram has been read on Android smartphones? Log in to the social network and launch Direct by tapping on the paper airplane symbol. A list of all user dialogs will be displayed on the monitor. Select the one you need from among them and go to the message. The read message is displayed next to the “Viewed” caption.
• How to see if a message on Instagram has been read from iPhones: log in to the social network. Then go to the news tab, indicated by the house. Launch Direct, indicated by an airplane. Select the one you need from the list of interlocutors. A “Seen” icon will also appear under the last message.

There are not many differences between the two different operating systems. The only difference occurs with older versions of the application - on Android a symbol in the form of an eye appears. However, the word “Read” appears on all devices with the new version, regardless of operating systems. Viewing information about messages in the web version is not possible in an official way. Computers do not have built-in Direct. Download additional plugins or emulators or use mobile devices with the official application.

Has the message been read?

So how do you understand that a message on Instagram has been read? Often, after sending an outgoing message to other users, there is no response. In this regard, similar questions arise. Finding out whether a person has seen the incoming message is simple - under the text you sent, the word “Read” is located. The inscription will not appear if the person closed Direct for you.

Also, the inscription is missing if the message has not been read. You can delete it either from yourself or from your interlocutor, but in this case it becomes difficult to restore the correspondence.

Why are the years patronized by animals? And multi-colored too

There are several legends why every year in the eastern calendar is dedicated to some animal. According to one of them, Buddha somehow called animals to him. And he gave a year to everyone who responded. The rat came first, the bull second, and so on: a total of 12 animals.

Although modern researchers believe that the Chinese calendar was invented by monks. And animals and elements (colors) are needed to make the chronology more understandable. So, they included 12 animals in the calendar that are well known to all residents of the Middle Kingdom. For example, ox, horse, goat, rooster, pig and dog are common in Chinese households. And the rat, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake and monkey are very popular in Eastern culture.

Each animal in turn is embodied in one of the five elements: water (blue), fire (red), earth (yellow), wood (green) and metal (white). The animal changes every year, and the elements change every two years. Thus, one cycle of the eastern calendar lasts 60 years.