Chinese zodiac · 丑 Chou
Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac
The Ox (丑, Chou) is one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac — the Earthly Branch of the year pillar. The Year of the Ox 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. In English it is also called the Buffalo.
The branch 丑 at a glance
- Earthly Branch
- 丑 · Chou
- Phase
- Earth · 土
- Polarity
- Yin
- Two-hour period
- 01:00–03:00
- Solar month
- from Xiao Han (Minor Cold)
- Hidden stems
- 己 Yin Earth, 癸 Yin Water, 辛 Yin Metal
The traditional image of the Ox
The tradition pictures the Ox as patient, steady and hard-working — the animal that ploughs the field season after season. Its branch belongs to the coldest weeks of the year, when the ground rests and the work of spring is prepared.
How the tradition pictures the animal — a symbol, not a description of every person born in its years.
2027 and the Ox
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 Ox’s branch 丑.
- clash
Clash (Liu Chong): 丑 stands opposite 未 in the circle of twelve branches. The tradition reads a clash as tension and movement — change in the areas involved, not a verdict on the year.
- punishment
Punishment (Xing): 丑 and 未 belong to the same punishment in the traditional tables. The tradition reads it as strain that asks for correction, not as a verdict on the year.
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 Ox
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Yin Wood 乙丑 | 4 February 1925, 15:36 – 4 February 1926, 21:38 | 24 January 1925 – 12 February 1926 |
| 1937 | Yin Fire 丁丑 | 4 February 1937, 13:25 – 4 February 1938, 19:15 | 11 February 1937 – 30 January 1938 |
| 1949 | Yin Earth 己丑 | 4 February 1949, 11:22 – 4 February 1950, 17:20 | 29 January 1949 – 16 February 1950 |
| 1961 | Yin Metal 辛丑 | 4 February 1961, 09:22 – 4 February 1962, 15:17 | 15 February 1961 – 4 February 1962 |
| 1973 | Yin Water 癸丑 | 4 February 1973, 07:04 – 4 February 1974, 13:00 | 3 February 1973 – 22 January 1974 |
| 1985 | Yin Wood 乙丑 | 4 February 1985, 05:11 – 4 February 1986, 11:07 | 20 February 1985 – 8 February 1986 |
| 1997 | Yin Fire 丁丑 | 4 February 1997, 03:01 – 4 February 1998, 08:56 | 7 February 1997 – 27 January 1998 |
| 2009 | Yin Earth 己丑 | 4 February 2009, 00:49 – 4 February 2010, 06:47 | 26 January 2009 – 13 February 2010 |
| 2021 | Yin Metal 辛丑 | 3 February 2021, 22:58 – 4 February 2022, 04:50 | 12 February 2021 – 31 January 2022 |
The five Ox years
Every Ox year pairs the branch 丑 with one of five Heavenly Stems of the same polarity, so each pairing of the Ox with an element returns every sixty years.
- WoodYin Wood · 乙丑 Yi Chou1925, 1985
- FireYin Fire · 丁丑 Ding Chou1937, 1997
- EarthYin Earth · 己丑 Ji Chou1949, 2009
- MetalYin Metal · 辛丑 Xin Chou1961, 2021
- WaterYin Water · 癸丑 Gui Chou1973
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.