Chinese Zodiac · 2 of 12
What are people born in the Year of the Ox like?
In the Chinese zodiac, people born in a Year of the Ox are patient and dependable. The Ox is the second of twelve animals. Its years begin at Lunar New Year, not January 1, so a January or early February birthday may belong to the animal before. Recent Ox years: 1997, 2009 and 2021.
The Math
Calculated facts only, worked out the same way the machine does it.
- The Ox is animal 2 of 12. Its years come round every twelve years, each time with the next element in the cycle.
- Each year starts at Lunar New Year (Beijing date), calculated by the machine from the new moons and the December solstice.
| Year | Element | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Wood | January 24, 1925 | February 12, 1926 |
| 1937 | Fire | February 11, 1937 | January 30, 1938 |
| 1949 | Earth | January 29, 1949 | February 16, 1950 |
| 1961 | Metal | February 15, 1961 | February 4, 1962 |
| 1973 | Water | February 3, 1973 | January 22, 1974 |
| 1985 | Wood | February 20, 1985 | February 8, 1986 |
| 1997 | Fire | February 7, 1997 | January 27, 1998 |
| 2009 | Earth | January 26, 2009 | February 13, 2010 |
| 2021 | Metal | February 12, 2021 | January 31, 2022 |
The Machine Says
Lines from the machine's own library, word for word.
The machine's line for the Ox
- Patient and dependable.
In the Tradition
What Chinese tradition pairs with the Ox. Tradition, not science; the years are calculated by the machine.
| Place in the cycle | 2 of 12 |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 牛 niú |
| Earthly Branch | 丑 chǒu |
| Yin or yang | Yin |
| Fixed element | Earth (always the same, unlike the year’s element in the table above) |
| Traditional hours | 1 am to 3 am |
| Month of the Chinese calendar | 12th month |
| Compass direction | 30° (1 o’clock with north at the top) |
| Season | Winter |
| Most recent Ox year | 2021, Metal Ox: February 12, 2021 to January 31, 2022 |
| Next Ox year | 2033 (twelve years on; past the end of the machine’s tables, which run to 2031) |
| Also called | 牛 niú covers ox, cow and buffalo. In the Vietnamese zodiac the second animal is the water buffalo. |
The Great Race
A folk tale told many ways. It explains the order of the animals, not their history.
The Ox was strong in the water and good-natured, so it agreed to carry the Rat across the river on its back.
It was nearly across first, until the Rat leapt off its head at the finish and the Ox had to settle for second place. 3,5,6
Allies and Opposites
Old pairings people talk about, not promises about anyone.
Trine allies (sān hé)
Tradition sorts the twelve into four groups of three animals, each four places apart in the cycle. The Ox’s group: Ox, Snake and Rooster. They are said to get along easily.
The clash (liù chōng)
The animal six places away, straight across the circle, is the Ox’s opposite: the Goat. Tradition calls the pair a clash, which people read as strong differences rather than a verdict. 3
What It Symbolises
Meanings from Chinese art and folklore, as museums describe them.
- The farmer’s partner: the ox pulled the plough, and the V&A calls it the farmer’s best friend. 7
- Spring and the earth, through that same work of breaking the soil each year. 8
- The sage Laozi is often shown riding an ox or water buffalo; legend says he wrote the Daodejing on its back. 8
- A child riding an ox is a classic picture of peaceful, contented times in Chinese painting. 7
Sources
Each read on October 13, 2026. The numbers above point here.
- Earthly Branches, Wikipedia. Read on .
- Chinese calendar (table of branches: direction, season, month, double hour), Wikipedia. Read on .
- Chinese zodiac (signs, compatibility, the Great Race, regional versions), Wikipedia. Read on .
- The 12 animals, Hong Kong Observatory. Read on .
- The Chinese Zodiac, Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology, Wake Forest University. Read on .
- What is the Chinese zodiac?, National Geographic. Read on .
- The 12 zodiac animals at the V&A, Victoria and Albert Museum. Read on .
- Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Ox, Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian. Read on .