Today is Nov 1, 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse

Chinese Year Animals

Methodology

How every date, element and match on this site is worked out, which traditional rules are used, and where the limits are.

Last updated Oct 31, 2026

Lunar New Year Dates

The Chinese zodiac year begins on Lunar New Year, so your sign depends on whether you were born before or after that day. The site shows the date of Lunar New Year for every year from 1900 to 2037.

  • Dates are calculated from the astronomical new moon with the open-source lunar-javascript library and given in China Standard Time (UTC+8).
  • An automated test checks every year in the table against the library. A second, hand-checked table covering 1924 to 2032 was compared against it, with no differences.
  • A birth on Lunar New Year itself belongs to the new year. A birth the day before belongs to the old one.

Other countries that celebrate Lunar New Year use their own time zone for the new moon, so in some years their date can differ from China's by one day. This site follows China.

Animal, Element and Year Name

  • Animal. Subtract 4 from the Chinese year and divide by 12. The remainder gives the animal: 0 Rat, 1 Ox, 2 Tiger, 3 Rabbit, 4 Dragon, 5 Snake, 6 Horse, 7 Goat, 8 Monkey, 9 Rooster, 10 Dog, 11 Pig.
  • Element of the year. The last digit sets it: 0 and 1 Metal, 2 and 3 Water, 4 and 5 Wood, 6 and 7 Fire, 8 and 9 Earth. This is different from the animal's own fixed element.
  • Year name and sound element. The sexagenary name (for example 丁未 for 2027) and its Na Yin sound element come from the same library.
  • Yin and Yang. Even-numbered years are Yang and odd-numbered years are Yin.

The full list is on the Chinese zodiac years chart.

Compatibility Rules

Matches follow the traditional relationships between the twelve earthly branches, which the animals stand for. The site uses these four.

  • Trine groups (三合). Signs four years apart: Rat, Dragon, Monkey; Ox, Snake, Rooster; Tiger, Horse, Dog; Rabbit, Goat, Pig.
  • Secret Friends (六合). Six pairs: Rat and Ox; Tiger and Pig; Rabbit and Dog; Dragon and Rooster; Snake and Monkey; Horse and Goat.
  • Clashes (六冲). Signs opposite on the wheel, six years apart: Rat and Horse; Ox and Goat; Tiger and Monkey; Rabbit and Rooster; Dragon and Dog; Snake and Pig.
  • Harms (六害). Six pairs: Rat and Goat; Ox and Horse; Tiger and Snake; Rabbit and Dragon; Monkey and Pig; Rooster and Dog.

Sources differ in the finer points of these rules. Where they do, the site uses the standard set above. The result is a traditional reading of two signs, not a judgment about two people.

The 2027 Horoscopes

The 2027 pages do not make individual predictions. Each sign is compared with the Goat, the animal of the year, which tradition calls the Tai Sui, and the reading follows from the rule that applies.

  • Own sign year. The Goat.
  • Needs care. A clash (Ox), a punishment (Ox, Dog), a harm (Rat) or a break (Dog) with the Goat.
  • Supported. A trine partner (Rabbit, Pig) or the Secret Friend (Horse).
  • Steady. No direct link: Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Monkey and Rooster.
  • Easier and harder months. Each solar month carries an animal, starting with the Tiger in February. Months that carry a sign's trine partner or Secret Friend are marked easier, and months that carry its clash or harm sign are marked harder. Month boundaries follow the solar terms and begin around the 4th to 8th.

The advice, such as reading contracts or leaving slack in plans, is general and written by us. See the 2027 Chinese zodiac page.

How Pages Are Written

  • Dates, years, elements and relationships come from data and are tested. They are never typed by hand.
  • Descriptions of personality, culture and symbols are traditional lore. Pages say "in Chinese tradition" and do not present it as fact.
  • We do not invent quotes, statistics, famous people or credentials. A claim we cannot support is left out.
  • Jenny reviews each page before it is published, and the page shows its last update date.
  • Year-specific pages are updated every October for the coming year.

Limits

The Chinese zodiac is a tradition, not a science, and different schools disagree on details. The site is for cultural interest and entertainment, and its readings should not guide medical, legal, financial or relationship decisions.

This page is updated whenever the method changes.