Chinese Zodiac · 午 · 馬
Year of the Horse
Free-spirited, lively and sociable
In 2027 (丁未, Fire Goat)
2027 · the Fire Goat year →2027 is a 丁未 year: fire (丁) over earth (未).
The Horse's branch, hour and season
- Earthly Branch
- 午 · YangFire
- Double hour
- 午時 · 11:00–13:00
- Solar month
- 午月 · 芒種 → 小暑 (about June 6 to July 7)
- Season
- Summer
- Hidden stems (藏干)
- 丁 己
- Direction
- 180° on the compass (子 is due north)
These correspondences belong to the branch itself, so they are the same in every Year of the Horse. The same branch also names an hour of the day and a solar month, which is how it appears in the hour and month pillars of a BaZi chart.
Traditional matches
古籍
From the classics
Wang Chong's Lùn Héng (1st century AD) is the earliest text that pairs each Earthly Branch with its animal.
午亦火也，其禽馬也。Wu is also fire; its creature is the horse.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
The classical Chinese is the authoritative text. Translations are iching.tools' own from the Chinese unless another translator is named; several attributions are traditional rather than historical (託名).
Years of the Horse
Each year begins at the Start of Spring (立春), around 4 February. Born before that moment? You belong to the previous animal. Ages count from the year listed; someone born the following January, before 立春, is a year younger.
| Year | Pillar | Element | Starts (Start of Spring, Beijing time) | Age in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 庚午 | Metal Horse | 1930-02-04 20:51 | 96 (虛歲 97) |
| 1942 | 壬午 | Water Horse | 1942-02-04 18:48 | 84 (虛歲 85) |
| 1954 | 甲午 | Wood Horse | 1954-02-04 16:30 | 72 (虛歲 73) |
| 1966 | 丙午 | Fire Horse | 1966-02-04 14:37 | 60 (虛歲 61) |
| 1978 | 戊午 | Earth Horse | 1978-02-04 12:26 | 48 (虛歲 49) |
| 1990 | 庚午 | Metal Horse | 1990-02-04 10:14 | 36 (虛歲 37) |
| 2002 | 壬午 | Water Horse | 2002-02-04 08:24 | 24 (虛歲 25) |
| 2014 | 甲午 | Wood Horse | 2014-02-04 06:03 | 12 (虛歲 13) |
| 2026 | 丙午 | Fire Horse | 2026-02-04 04:02 | 0 (虛歲 1) |
| 2038 | 戊午 | Earth Horse | 2038-02-04 02:03 | — |
Year of the Horse: common questions
- How old are people born in the Year of the Horse?
- In 2026: 0 if born in 2026 (虛歲 1), 12 if born in 2014 (虛歲 13), 24 if born in 2002 (虛歲 25), 36 if born in 1990 (虛歲 37), 48 if born in 1978 (虛歲 49), and 60 if born in 1966 (虛歲 61). 虛歲 is the traditional Chinese count, in which a baby is one at birth and everyone gains a year together at New Year.
- Which years are Years of the Horse?
- Recent Years of the Horse are 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, and 2026. Each begins at 立春 (Start of Spring, around 4 February), not on 1 January or at Chinese New Year.
- Which signs go well with the Horse?
- By the traditional branch relations, the Horse's Six Harmony (六合) partner is the Goat, and it forms a Three Harmony (三合) group with the Tiger and Dog. Its opposite (六沖) is the Rat; tradition reads that as contrasting rhythms rather than a bad match.
- Does the Horse offend Tai Sui in 2027?
- No. In 2027 the Horse is in harmony with the year branch 未 (Six Harmony), which tradition reads as a smooth year.
- I was born in January or early February. Am I a Horse?
- Only if you were born after 立春 (Start of Spring, about 4 February) of a Year of the Horse. Someone born in January, or in February before 立春, belongs to the previous sign, the Snake. The zodiac calculator checks your birth against the exact 立春 instant.