Chinese zodiac · 午 Wu
Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac
The Horse (午, Wu) is one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac — the Earthly Branch of the year pillar. The Year of the Horse 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 午 at a glance
- Earthly Branch
- 午 · Wu
- Phase
- Fire · 火
- Polarity
- Yang
- Two-hour period
- 11:00–13:00
- Solar month
- from Mang Zhong (Grain in Ear)
- Hidden stems
- 丁 Yin Fire, 己 Yin Earth
The traditional image of the Horse
The tradition pictures the Horse as free-spirited, lively and quick, an animal of travel and open spaces. Its branch marks noon and midsummer, the height of Fire.
How the tradition pictures the animal — a symbol, not a description of every person born in its years.
2027 and the Horse
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 Horse’s branch 午.
- six harmonies
Six harmonies (Liu He): 午 and 未 form one of the six harmonious pairs of branches. The tradition reads such a pair as mutual support and ease.
- seasonal meeting
Seasonal meeting (San Hui): 午 and 未 are branches of one season, completed by the Snake, which gather Fire.
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 Horse
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Yang Metal 庚午 | 4 February 1930, 20:51 – 5 February 1931, 02:40 | 30 January 1930 – 16 February 1931 |
| 1942 | Yang Water 壬午 | 4 February 1942, 18:48 – 5 February 1943, 00:40 | 15 February 1942 – 4 February 1943 |
| 1954 | Yang Wood 甲午 | 4 February 1954, 16:30 – 4 February 1955, 22:17 | 3 February 1954 – 23 January 1955 |
| 1966 | Yang Fire 丙午 | 4 February 1966, 14:37 – 4 February 1967, 20:30 | 21 January 1966 – 8 February 1967 |
| 1978 | Yang Earth 戊午 | 4 February 1978, 12:27 – 4 February 1979, 18:12 | 7 February 1978 – 27 January 1979 |
| 1990 | Yang Metal 庚午 | 4 February 1990, 10:14 – 4 February 1991, 16:08 | 27 January 1990 – 14 February 1991 |
| 2002 | Yang Water 壬午 | 4 February 2002, 08:24 – 4 February 2003, 14:05 | 12 February 2002 – 31 January 2003 |
| 2014 | Yang Wood 甲午 | 4 February 2014, 06:03 – 4 February 2015, 11:58 | 31 January 2014 – 18 February 2015 |
| 2026 | Yang Fire 丙午 | 4 February 2026, 04:02 – 4 February 2027, 09:46 | 17 February 2026 – 5 February 2027 |
The five Horse years
Every Horse year pairs the branch 午 with one of five Heavenly Stems of the same polarity, so each pairing of the Horse with an element returns every sixty years.
- MetalYang Metal · 庚午 Geng Wu1930, 1990
- WaterYang Water · 壬午 Ren Wu1942, 2002
- WoodYang Wood · 甲午 Jia Wu1954, 2014
- FireYang Fire · 丙午 Bing Wu1966, 2026
- EarthYang Earth · 戊午 Wu Wu1978
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.