Chinese zodiac · 寅 Yín
Year of the Tiger
The Tiger is the third of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, the animal of the earthly branch Yín. Each Tiger year starts at Lì Chūn, the Start of Spring, around February 4, not on January 1.
At a glance
- In Chinese
- 虎 (hǔ); the branch 寅 (yín)
- Tiger years
- 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034
- Next Tiger year
- 2034, from Lì Chūn at 2:40 am on February 4, Beijing time (Lunar New Year: February 19, 2034)
- The branch's own element
- Wood
- Tiger hour
- 3 am to 5 am, by the sun
- Tiger month
- From 立春 (Start of Spring), about February 4, to 惊蛰 (Awakening of Insects), about March 5
- Matches in tradition
- Six combination: Pig (亥). Three harmony: Horse (午) and Dog (戌).
- Clash in tradition
- Monkey (申)
- 2027 almanac lists
- On neither list
Every Tiger year, with exact dates
| Year | Name | By Lunar New Year | By Lì Chūn (Beijing time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 丙寅, Fire Tiger | 13 Feb 1926 to 1 Feb 1927 | 4 Feb 1926, 9:38 pm to 5 Feb 1927, 3:30 am |
| 1938 | 戊寅, Earth Tiger | 31 Jan 1938 to 18 Feb 1939 | 4 Feb 1938, 7:14 pm to 5 Feb 1939, 1:10 am |
| 1950 | 庚寅, Metal Tiger | 17 Feb 1950 to 5 Feb 1951 | 4 Feb 1950, 5:20 pm to 4 Feb 1951, 11:13 pm |
| 1962 | 壬寅, Water Tiger | 5 Feb 1962 to 24 Jan 1963 | 4 Feb 1962, 3:17 pm to 4 Feb 1963, 9:07 pm |
| 1974 | 甲寅, Wood Tiger | 23 Jan 1974 to 10 Feb 1975 | 4 Feb 1974, 1:00 pm to 4 Feb 1975, 6:59 pm |
| 1986 | 丙寅, Fire Tiger | 9 Feb 1986 to 28 Jan 1987 | 4 Feb 1986, 11:07 am to 4 Feb 1987, 4:51 pm |
| 1998 | 戊寅, Earth Tiger | 28 Jan 1998 to 15 Feb 1999 | 4 Feb 1998, 8:56 am to 4 Feb 1999, 2:57 pm |
| 2010 | 庚寅, Metal Tiger | 14 Feb 2010 to 2 Feb 2011 | 4 Feb 2010, 6:47 am to 4 Feb 2011, 12:32 pm |
| 2022 | 壬寅, Water Tiger | 1 Feb 2022 to 21 Jan 2023 | 4 Feb 2022, 4:50 am to 4 Feb 2023, 10:42 am |
| 2034 | 甲寅, Wood Tiger | 19 Feb 2034 to 7 Feb 2035 | 4 Feb 2034, 2:40 am to 4 Feb 2035, 8:32 am |
Take a made-up birth on February 1, 2022, the day of Lunar New Year. Many zodiac calendars call that baby a Tiger. Lì Chūn didn't come until 4:50 am on February 4, Beijing time, so in BaZi the year was still 辛丑, the Metal Ox. 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 Tiger's five elements
Wood Tiger, 甲寅: 1974, 2034. Na Yin: Great Stream Water (大溪水).
Fire Tiger, 丙寅: 1926, 1986. Na Yin: Furnace Fire (炉中火).
Earth Tiger, 戊寅: 1938, 1998. Na Yin: City Wall Earth (城头土).
Metal Tiger, 庚寅: 1950, 2010. Na Yin: Pine-and-Cypress Wood (松柏木).
Water Tiger, 壬寅: 1962, 2022. Na Yin: Gold Foil Metal (金箔金).
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 Tiger in folk tradition
In the folk tale of the great race, the Tiger, being strong, came in third.
Popular lore describes people born in a Tiger year as brave, generous and having a strong sense of justice.
These are folk descriptions, not facts about anyone born in a Tiger year.
Tiger compatibility in tradition: matches and clashes
Six combination (六合) with the Pig (亥): each branch has one partner of this kind.
Three harmony (三合) with the Horse (午) and the Dog (戌): together, the three make the Fire trio.
Clash (冲) with the Monkey (申): the branch opposite on the circle of twelve.
Harm (害) with the Snake (巳); punishment (刑) with the Snake (巳) and the Monkey (申); break (破) with the Pig (亥).
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 Tiger 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), 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