Chinese Zodiac · 寅 · 虎
Year of the Tiger
Brave, warm-hearted and independent
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 Tiger's branch, hour and season
- Earthly Branch
- 寅 · YangWood
- Double hour
- 寅時 · 03:00–05:00
- Solar month
- 寅月 · 立春 → 驚蟄 (about February 4 to March 6)
- Season
- Spring
- Hidden stems (藏干)
- 甲 丙 戊
- Direction
- 60° on the compass (子 is due north)
These correspondences belong to the branch itself, so they are the same in every Year of the Tiger. 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.
寅木也，其禽虎也。Yin is wood; its creature is the tiger.
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 Tiger
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 丙寅 | Fire Tiger | 1926-02-04 21:38 | 100 (虛歲 101) |
| 1938 | 戊寅 | Earth Tiger | 1938-02-04 19:14 | 88 (虛歲 89) |
| 1950 | 庚寅 | Metal Tiger | 1950-02-04 17:20 | 76 (虛歲 77) |
| 1962 | 壬寅 | Water Tiger | 1962-02-04 15:17 | 64 (虛歲 65) |
| 1974 | 甲寅 | Wood Tiger | 1974-02-04 13:00 | 52 (虛歲 53) |
| 1986 | 丙寅 | Fire Tiger | 1986-02-04 11:07 | 40 (虛歲 41) |
| 1998 | 戊寅 | Earth Tiger | 1998-02-04 08:56 | 28 (虛歲 29) |
| 2010 | 庚寅 | Metal Tiger | 2010-02-04 06:47 | 16 (虛歲 17) |
| 2022 | 壬寅 | Water Tiger | 2022-02-04 04:50 | 4 (虛歲 5) |
| 2034 | 甲寅 | Wood Tiger | 2034-02-04 02:41 | — |
Year of the Tiger: common questions
- How old are people born in the Year of the Tiger?
- In 2026: 4 if born in 2022 (虛歲 5), 16 if born in 2010 (虛歲 17), 28 if born in 1998 (虛歲 29), 40 if born in 1986 (虛歲 41), 52 if born in 1974 (虛歲 53), and 64 if born in 1962 (虛歲 65). 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 Tiger?
- Recent Years of the Tiger are 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, and 2022. 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 Tiger?
- By the traditional branch relations, the Tiger's Six Harmony (六合) partner is the Pig, and it forms a Three Harmony (三合) group with the Horse and Dog. Its opposite (六沖) is the Monkey; tradition reads that as contrasting rhythms rather than a bad match.
- Does the Tiger offend Tai Sui in 2027?
- No. The Tiger 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 Tiger?
- Only if you were born after 立春 (Start of Spring, about 4 February) of a Year of the Tiger. Someone born in January, or in February before 立春, belongs to the previous sign, the Ox. The zodiac calculator checks your birth against the exact 立春 instant.