Chinese zodiac · 辰 Chen
Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac
The Dragon (辰, Chen) is one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac — the Earthly Branch of the year pillar. The Year of the Dragon returns every twelve years: here are all its years from 1924 to 2031 with the exact start of each, its five elements, its traditional image and how the 2027 year meets it.
The branch 辰 at a glance
- Earthly Branch
- 辰 · Chen
- Phase
- Earth · 土
- Polarity
- Yang
- Two-hour period
- 07:00–09:00
- Solar month
- from Qing Ming (Pure Brightness)
- Hidden stems
- 戊 Yang Earth, 乙 Yin Wood, 癸 Yin Water
The traditional image of the Dragon
The tradition pictures the Dragon, the only legendary animal of the twelve, as a bringer of rain, strength and transformation — honoured rather than feared. Its branch closes spring and stores Water within Earth.
How the tradition pictures the animal — a symbol, not a description of every person born in its years.
2027 and the Dragon
2027 is the year of 丁未 Ding Wei — Yin Fire over the Goat. This is how the traditional tables read the bond between its branch 未 and the Dragon’s branch 辰.
- no basic combination
None of the basic combinations or clashes joins 辰 and 未. The tradition then reads the year through the rest of the chart rather than through the animal.
This is how a traditional symbolic system describes two branches, not a forecast. In BaZi a year is read against all four pillars of a chart, not against the animal alone.
Chinese zodiac 2027: the year of the Goat →
Chinese zodiac compatibility chart: the twelve animals pair by pair →
Years of the Dragon
A BaZi year runs from Li Chun to Li Chun, a lunar-calendar year from Chinese New Year to the eve of the next one. Times are China Standard Time (UTC+8); born close to Li Chun, check your exact birth moment in the calculator.
| Year | Stem | BaZi year (Li Chun to Li Chun) | Lunar year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Yang Earth 戊辰 | 5 February 1928, 09:16 – 4 February 1929, 15:08 | 23 January 1928 – 9 February 1929 |
| 1940 | Yang Metal 庚辰 | 5 February 1940, 07:07 – 4 February 1941, 12:49 | 8 February 1940 – 26 January 1941 |
| 1952 | Yang Water 壬辰 | 5 February 1952, 04:52 – 4 February 1953, 10:45 | 27 January 1952 – 13 February 1953 |
| 1964 | Yang Wood 甲辰 | 5 February 1964, 03:04 – 4 February 1965, 08:46 | 13 February 1964 – 1 February 1965 |
| 1976 | Yang Fire 丙辰 | 5 February 1976, 00:39 – 4 February 1977, 06:33 | 31 January 1976 – 17 February 1977 |
| 1988 | Yang Earth 戊辰 | 4 February 1988, 22:42 – 4 February 1989, 04:27 | 17 February 1988 – 5 February 1989 |
| 2000 | Yang Metal 庚辰 | 4 February 2000, 20:40 – 4 February 2001, 02:28 | 5 February 2000 – 23 January 2001 |
| 2012 | Yang Water 壬辰 | 4 February 2012, 18:22 – 4 February 2013, 00:13 | 23 January 2012 – 9 February 2013 |
| 2024 | Yang Wood 甲辰 | 4 February 2024, 16:27 – 3 February 2025, 22:10 | 10 February 2024 – 28 January 2025 |
The five Dragon years
Every Dragon year pairs the branch 辰 with one of five Heavenly Stems of the same polarity, so each pairing of the Dragon with an element returns every sixty years.
- EarthYang Earth · 戊辰 Wu Chen1928, 1988
- MetalYang Metal · 庚辰 Geng Chen1940, 2000
- WaterYang Water · 壬辰 Ren Chen1952, 2012
- WoodYang Wood · 甲辰 Jia Chen1964, 2024
- FireYang Fire · 丙辰 Bing Chen1976
The animal is one sign of eight
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Calculate my BaZi chartBaZi and the Chinese zodiac are a traditional symbolic system. These pages describe how the tradition reads a sign; they do not predict events and do not replace medical, psychological, legal or financial advice.