Chinese zodiac · 酉 Yǒu
Year of the Rooster
The Rooster is the tenth of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, the animal of the earthly branch Yǒu. Each Rooster year starts at Lì Chūn, the Start of Spring, around February 4, not on January 1.
At a glance
- In Chinese
- 鸡 (jī); the branch 酉 (yǒu)
- Rooster years
- 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041
- Next Rooster year
- 2029, from Lì Chūn at 9:20 pm on February 3, Beijing time (Lunar New Year: February 13, 2029)
- The branch's own element
- Metal
- Rooster hour
- 5 pm to 7 pm, by the sun
- Rooster month
- From 白露 (White Dew), about September 7, to 寒露 (Cold Dew), about October 8
- Matches in tradition
- Six combination: Dragon (辰). Three harmony: Snake (巳) and Ox (丑).
- Clash in tradition
- Rabbit (卯)
- 2027 almanac lists
- On neither list
Every Rooster year, with exact dates
| Year | Name | By Lunar New Year | By Lì Chūn (Beijing time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | 癸酉, Water Rooster | 26 Jan 1933 to 13 Feb 1934 | 4 Feb 1933, 2:09 pm to 4 Feb 1934, 8:03 pm |
| 1945 | 乙酉, Wood Rooster | 13 Feb 1945 to 1 Feb 1946 | 4 Feb 1945, 12:19 pm to 4 Feb 1946, 6:03 pm |
| 1957 | 丁酉, Fire Rooster | 31 Jan 1957 to 17 Feb 1958 | 4 Feb 1957, 9:54 am to 4 Feb 1958, 3:49 pm |
| 1969 | 己酉, Earth Rooster | 17 Feb 1969 to 5 Feb 1970 | 4 Feb 1969, 7:59 am to 4 Feb 1970, 1:45 pm |
| 1981 | 辛酉, Metal Rooster | 5 Feb 1981 to 24 Jan 1982 | 4 Feb 1981, 5:55 am to 4 Feb 1982, 11:45 am |
| 1993 | 癸酉, Water Rooster | 23 Jan 1993 to 9 Feb 1994 | 4 Feb 1993, 3:37 am to 4 Feb 1994, 9:30 am |
| 2005 | 乙酉, Wood Rooster | 9 Feb 2005 to 28 Jan 2006 | 4 Feb 2005, 1:43 am to 4 Feb 2006, 7:27 am |
| 2017 | 丁酉, Fire Rooster | 28 Jan 2017 to 15 Feb 2018 | 3 Feb 2017, 11:34 pm to 4 Feb 2018, 5:28 am |
| 2029 | 己酉, Earth Rooster | 13 Feb 2029 to 2 Feb 2030 | 3 Feb 2029, 9:20 pm to 4 Feb 2030, 3:08 am |
| 2041 | 辛酉, Metal Rooster | 1 Feb 2041 to 21 Jan 2042 | 3 Feb 2041, 7:25 pm to 4 Feb 2042, 1:12 am |
Take a made-up birth on January 28, 2017, the day of Lunar New Year. Many zodiac calendars call that baby a Rooster. Lì Chūn didn't come until 11:34 pm on February 3, Beijing time, so in BaZi the year was still 丙申, the Fire Monkey. 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 Rooster's five elements
Wood Rooster, 乙酉: 1945, 2005. Na Yin: Spring Water (泉中水).
Fire Rooster, 丁酉: 1957, 2017. Na Yin: Below-Mountain Fire (山下火).
Earth Rooster, 己酉: 1969, 2029. Na Yin: Great Highway Earth (大驿土).
Metal Rooster, 辛酉: 1981, 2041. Na Yin: Pomegranate Wood (石榴木).
Water Rooster, 癸酉: 1933, 1993. Na Yin: Sword-Edge Metal (剑锋金).
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 Rooster in folk tradition
In the folk tale of the great race, the Rooster, the Monkey and the Goat helped one another across the river, and the Rooster came in tenth.
Popular lore describes people born in a Rooster year as honest and sociable.
These are folk descriptions, not facts about anyone born in a Rooster year.
Rooster compatibility in tradition: matches and clashes
Six combination (六合) with the Dragon (辰): each branch has one partner of this kind.
Three harmony (三合) with the Snake (巳) and the Ox (丑): together, the three make the Metal trio.
Clash (冲) with the Rabbit (卯): the branch opposite on the circle of twelve.
Harm (害) with the Dog (戌); punishment (刑) with itself (自刑); break (破) with the Rat (子).
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 Rooster 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
- On neither list
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), Asian Art Museum, CGTN
A traditional reading for entertainment, reflection and cultural interest, not a prediction or professional advice. Disclaimer
Last updated: 2026-11-13