Chinese Zodiac · 巳 · 蛇
Year of the Snake
Thoughtful, intuitive and composed
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 Snake's branch, hour and season
- Earthly Branch
- 巳 · YinFire
- Double hour
- 巳時 · 09:00–11:00
- Solar month
- 巳月 · 立夏 → 芒種 (about May 6 to June 6)
- Season
- Summer
- Hidden stems (藏干)
- 丙 庚 戊
- Direction
- 150° on the compass (子 is due north)
These correspondences belong to the branch itself, so they are the same in every Year of the Snake. 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.
巳火也，其禽蛇也。Si is fire; its creature is the snake.
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 Snake
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | 己巳 | Earth Snake | 1929-02-04 15:08 | 97 (虛歲 98) |
| 1941 | 辛巳 | Metal Snake | 1941-02-04 12:49 | 85 (虛歲 86) |
| 1953 | 癸巳 | Water Snake | 1953-02-04 10:45 | 73 (虛歲 74) |
| 1965 | 乙巳 | Wood Snake | 1965-02-04 08:46 | 61 (虛歲 62) |
| 1977 | 丁巳 | Fire Snake | 1977-02-04 06:33 | 49 (虛歲 50) |
| 1989 | 己巳 | Earth Snake | 1989-02-04 04:27 | 37 (虛歲 38) |
| 2001 | 辛巳 | Metal Snake | 2001-02-04 02:28 | 25 (虛歲 26) |
| 2013 | 癸巳 | Water Snake | 2013-02-04 00:13 | 13 (虛歲 14) |
| 2025 | 乙巳 | Wood Snake | 2025-02-03 22:10 | 1 (虛歲 2) |
| 2037 | 丁巳 | Fire Snake | 2037-02-03 20:11 | — |
Year of the Snake: common questions
- How old are people born in the Year of the Snake?
- In 2026: 1 if born in 2025 (虛歲 2), 13 if born in 2013 (虛歲 14), 25 if born in 2001 (虛歲 26), 37 if born in 1989 (虛歲 38), 49 if born in 1977 (虛歲 50), and 61 if born in 1965 (虛歲 62). 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 Snake?
- Recent Years of the Snake are 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025. 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 Snake?
- By the traditional branch relations, the Snake's Six Harmony (六合) partner is the Monkey, and it forms a Three Harmony (三合) group with the Rooster and Ox. Its opposite (六沖) is the Pig; tradition reads that as contrasting rhythms rather than a bad match.
- Does the Snake offend Tai Sui in 2027?
- No. The Snake 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 Snake?
- Only if you were born after 立春 (Start of Spring, about 4 February) of a Year of the Snake. Someone born in January, or in February before 立春, belongs to the previous sign, the Dragon. The zodiac calculator checks your birth against the exact 立春 instant.