Chinese Zodiac · 酉 · 雞
Year of the Rooster
Diligent, candid and precise
In 2027 (丁未, Fire Goat)
2027 · the Fire Goat year →No special relation with the year — move at your own pace.
2027 is a 丁未 year: fire (丁) over earth (未).
The Rooster's branch, hour and season
- Earthly Branch
- 酉 · YinMetal
- Double hour
- 酉時 · 17:00–19:00
- Solar month
- 酉月 · 白露 → 寒露 (about September 8 to October 8)
- Season
- Autumn
- Hidden stems (藏干)
- 辛
- Direction
- 270° on the compass (子 is due north)
These correspondences belong to the branch itself, so they are the same in every Year of the Rooster. 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 Rooster
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | 癸酉 | Water Rooster | 1933-02-04 14:09 | 93 (虛歲 94) |
| 1945 | 乙酉 | Wood Rooster | 1945-02-04 12:19 | 81 (虛歲 82) |
| 1957 | 丁酉 | Fire Rooster | 1957-02-04 09:54 | 69 (虛歲 70) |
| 1969 | 己酉 | Earth Rooster | 1969-02-04 07:58 | 57 (虛歲 58) |
| 1981 | 辛酉 | Metal Rooster | 1981-02-04 05:55 | 45 (虛歲 46) |
| 1993 | 癸酉 | Water Rooster | 1993-02-04 03:37 | 33 (虛歲 34) |
| 2005 | 乙酉 | Wood Rooster | 2005-02-04 01:43 | 21 (虛歲 22) |
| 2017 | 丁酉 | Fire Rooster | 2017-02-03 23:34 | 9 (虛歲 10) |
| 2029 | 己酉 | Earth Rooster | 2029-02-03 21:20 | — |
| 2041 | 辛酉 | Metal Rooster | 2041-02-03 19:25 | — |
Year of the Rooster: common questions
- How old are people born in the Year of the Rooster?
- In 2026: 9 if born in 2017 (虛歲 10), 21 if born in 2005 (虛歲 22), 33 if born in 1993 (虛歲 34), 45 if born in 1981 (虛歲 46), 57 if born in 1969 (虛歲 58), and 69 if born in 1957 (虛歲 70). 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 Rooster?
- Recent Years of the Rooster are 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, and 2017. 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 Rooster?
- By the traditional branch relations, the Rooster's Six Harmony (六合) partner is the Dragon, and it forms a Three Harmony (三合) group with the Snake and Ox. Its opposite (六沖) is the Rabbit; tradition reads that as contrasting rhythms rather than a bad match.
- Does the Rooster offend Tai Sui in 2027?
- No. The Rooster has no special relation to the year branch 未 in 2027, so tradition says to go at your own pace.
- I was born in January or early February. Am I a Rooster?
- Only if you were born after 立春 (Start of Spring, about 4 February) of a Year of the Rooster. Someone born in January, or in February before 立春, belongs to the previous sign, the Monkey. The zodiac calculator checks your birth against the exact 立春 instant.