Chinese zodiac · 未 Wèi
Year of the Goat (Sheep)
The Goat is the eighth of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, the animal of the earthly branch Wèi. Each Goat year starts at Lì Chūn, the Start of Spring, around February 4, not on January 1.
2027 is a Goat year: see Year of the Goat 2027.
At a glance
- In Chinese
- 羊 (yáng); the branch 未 (wèi)
- Goat years
- 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039
- Next Goat year
- 2027, from Lì Chūn at 9:46 am on February 4, Beijing time (Lunar New Year: February 6, 2027)
- The branch's own element
- Earth
- Goat hour
- 1 pm to 3 pm, by the sun
- Goat month
- From 小暑 (Slight Heat), about July 7, to 立秋 (Start of Autumn), about August 7
- Matches in tradition
- Six combination: Horse (午). Three harmony: Pig (亥) and Rabbit (卯).
- Clash in tradition
- Ox (丑)
- 2027 almanac lists
- Same branch as the year (值太岁). This is the sign's own year, 本命年.
Every Goat year, with exact dates
| Year | Name | By Lunar New Year | By Lì Chūn (Beijing time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 辛未, Metal Goat | 17 Feb 1931 to 5 Feb 1932 | 5 Feb 1931, 2:40 am to 5 Feb 1932, 8:29 am |
| 1943 | 癸未, Water Goat | 5 Feb 1943 to 24 Jan 1944 | 5 Feb 1943, 12:40 am to 5 Feb 1944, 6:22 am |
| 1955 | 乙未, Wood Goat | 24 Jan 1955 to 11 Feb 1956 | 4 Feb 1955, 10:17 pm to 5 Feb 1956, 4:12 am |
| 1967 | 丁未, Fire Goat | 9 Feb 1967 to 29 Jan 1968 | 4 Feb 1967, 8:30 pm to 5 Feb 1968, 2:07 am |
| 1979 | 己未, Earth Goat | 28 Jan 1979 to 15 Feb 1980 | 4 Feb 1979, 6:12 pm to 5 Feb 1980, 12:09 am |
| 1991 | 辛未, Metal Goat | 15 Feb 1991 to 3 Feb 1992 | 4 Feb 1991, 4:08 pm to 4 Feb 1992, 9:48 pm |
| 2003 | 癸未, Water Goat | 1 Feb 2003 to 21 Jan 2004 | 4 Feb 2003, 2:06 pm to 4 Feb 2004, 7:56 pm |
| 2015 | 乙未, Wood Goat | 19 Feb 2015 to 7 Feb 2016 | 4 Feb 2015, 11:58 am to 4 Feb 2016, 5:45 pm |
| 2027 | 丁未, Fire Goat | 6 Feb 2027 to 25 Jan 2028 | 4 Feb 2027, 9:46 am to 4 Feb 2028, 3:31 pm |
| 2039 | 己未, Earth Goat | 24 Jan 2039 to 11 Feb 2040 | 4 Feb 2039, 7:52 am to 4 Feb 2040, 1:39 pm |
Take a made-up birth on February 5, 2027. Lì Chūn had come at 9:46 am on February 4, Beijing time, so in BaZi that baby is a Goat. Lunar New Year didn't come until February 6, 2027, so many zodiac calendars still say a Horse. Both answers are in use; this site counts from Lì Chūn.
Check your birthday
Your animal is one character of eight. Enter your birth date to check your animal and see the type BaZi reads from your birth day. It's worked out in your browser and sent nowhere.
The Goat's five elements
Wood Goat, 乙未: 1955, 2015. Na Yin: Gold in the Sand (沙中金).
Fire Goat, 丁未: 1967, 2027. Na Yin: Heavenly River Water (天河水).
Earth Goat, 己未: 1979, 2039. Na Yin: Heavenly Fire (天上火).
Metal Goat, 辛未: 1931, 1991. Na Yin: Roadside Earth (路旁土).
Water Goat, 癸未: 1943, 2003. Na Yin: Willow Wood (杨柳木).
The element comes from the year's heavenly stem, so it changes every two years and comes back every ten. The Na Yin is a second element that tradition gives each of the sixty pairs.
The Goat in folk tradition
In the folk tale of the great race, the Goat, the Monkey and the Rooster helped one another across the river, and the Goat came in eighth.
Popular lore describes people born in a Goat year as gentle, timid and pessimistic.
These are folk descriptions, not facts about anyone born in a Goat year.
Goat compatibility in tradition: matches and clashes
Six combination (六合) with the Horse (午): each branch has one partner of this kind.
Three harmony (三合) with the Pig (亥) and the Rabbit (卯): together, the three make the Wood trio.
Clash (冲) with the Ox (丑): the branch opposite on the circle of twelve.
Harm (害) with the Rat (子); punishment (刑) with the Ox (丑) and the Dog (戌); break (破) with the Dog (戌).
These are relations between two year branches, one character of eight in each chart. They're tradition, not a verdict on a couple. A full comparison reads both whole charts.
The Goat in 2027
2027 is a Fire Goat year, 丁未, from Lì Chūn on February 4, 2027.
- The 2027 almanac's two lists: Tai Sui, and combining with the year
- Same branch as the year (值太岁). This is the sign's own year, 本命年.
These two lists are printed here as the almanac gives them, with no verdict attached: being on either one, or on neither, says nothing about how the year goes.
The other animals
Sources
MiraCosta College Library, China Culture, China Daily (2013), China Daily (2015), China Daily (2023), CGTN
A traditional reading for entertainment, reflection and cultural interest, not a prediction or professional advice. Disclaimer
Last updated: 2026-11-13