Chinese Zodiac · 卯 · 兔
Year of the Rabbit
Gentle, tactful and refined
In 2027 (丁未, Fire Goat)
2027 · the Fire Goat year →2027 is a 丁未 year: fire (丁) over earth (未).
The Rabbit's branch, hour and season
- Earthly Branch
- 卯 · YinWood
- Double hour
- 卯時 · 05:00–07:00
- Solar month
- 卯月 · 驚蟄 → 清明 (about March 6 to April 5)
- Season
- Spring
- Hidden stems (藏干)
- 乙
- Direction
- 90° on the compass (子 is due north)
These correspondences belong to the branch itself, so they are the same in every Year of the Rabbit. 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.
午馬也，子鼠也，酉雞也，卯兔也。Wu is the horse, Zi is the rat, You is the rooster, Mao is the hare.
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 Rabbit
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 丁卯 | Fire Rabbit | 1927-02-05 03:30 | 99 (虛歲 100) |
| 1939 | 己卯 | Earth Rabbit | 1939-02-05 01:10 | 87 (虛歲 88) |
| 1951 | 辛卯 | Metal Rabbit | 1951-02-04 23:13 | 75 (虛歲 76) |
| 1963 | 癸卯 | Water Rabbit | 1963-02-04 21:07 | 63 (虛歲 64) |
| 1975 | 乙卯 | Wood Rabbit | 1975-02-04 18:59 | 51 (虛歲 52) |
| 1987 | 丁卯 | Fire Rabbit | 1987-02-04 16:51 | 39 (虛歲 40) |
| 1999 | 己卯 | Earth Rabbit | 1999-02-04 14:57 | 27 (虛歲 28) |
| 2011 | 辛卯 | Metal Rabbit | 2011-02-04 12:32 | 15 (虛歲 16) |
| 2023 | 癸卯 | Water Rabbit | 2023-02-04 10:42 | 3 (虛歲 4) |
| 2035 | 乙卯 | Wood Rabbit | 2035-02-04 08:31 | — |
Year of the Rabbit: common questions
- How old are people born in the Year of the Rabbit?
- In 2026: 3 if born in 2023 (虛歲 4), 15 if born in 2011 (虛歲 16), 27 if born in 1999 (虛歲 28), 39 if born in 1987 (虛歲 40), 51 if born in 1975 (虛歲 52), and 63 if born in 1963 (虛歲 64). 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 Rabbit?
- Recent Years of the Rabbit are 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023. 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 Rabbit?
- By the traditional branch relations, the Rabbit's Six Harmony (六合) partner is the Dog, and it forms a Three Harmony (三合) group with the Pig and Goat. Its opposite (六沖) is the Rooster; tradition reads that as contrasting rhythms rather than a bad match.
- Does the Rabbit offend Tai Sui in 2027?
- No. In 2027 the Rabbit is in harmony with the year branch 未 (Three Harmony), which tradition reads as a smooth year.
- I was born in January or early February. Am I a Rabbit?
- Only if you were born after 立春 (Start of Spring, about 4 February) of a Year of the Rabbit. Someone born in January, or in February before 立春, belongs to the previous sign, the Tiger. The zodiac calculator checks your birth against the exact 立春 instant.