1947 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Pig (丁亥)
丁亥 Ding Hai · Yin Fire over the Pig's Water branch · number 24 of 60
1947 was a 丁亥 (Ding Hai) year — the 24th of the sixty stem-and-branch combinations, and in everyday English a Fire Pig year. The element in that name comes from the heavenly stem 丁 (Yin Fire); the branch 亥, the Pig itself, carries Water whatever the stem above it says. Its na yin, the older sixty-part scheme, reads 屋上土 — an Earth na yin.
The 1947 zodiac year did not start on 1 January. It started at Lichun (立春), 4 Feb 1947, 23:50 (Beijing time, UTC+8), and ran until the instant before Lichun 1948, 5 Feb 1948, 05:42 (Beijing time, UTC+8). Chinese New Year 1947 fell on 22 January 1947, a separate boundary that festivals use; between the two dates the popular and the classical conventions disagree. Anyone born in January or early February 1947 should check the table below before claiming a sign.
1947 is one of 8 Pig years between 1924 and 2027, and one of 2 Fire Pig years in that span (1947 and 2007), because stem and branch only line up again after sixty years: the same 丁亥 pillar last stood in 1887 and returns in 2007.
Which sign a 1947 birthday belongs to
| Born between (Beijing time) | Stem and branch | Sign | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 1947, 00:00 → 4 February 1947, 23:50 | 丙戌 | Fire Dog | Still the Dog year that opened in 1946. |
| 4 February 1947, 23:50 → 31 December 1947, 23:59 | 丁亥 | Fire Pig | The Pig year proper; it runs on past 31 December until Lichun 1948. |
Born on 1 January 1947? That is a Dog, not a Pig: the Fire Dog year 丙戌 ran on until 4 February 1947 at 23:50 Beijing time.
Lichun is an astronomical instant, not a date: in 1947 it fell at 23:50 Beijing time (UTC+8). The instant itself starts the Pig year, so a birth at 23:50 on that day is already a Pig. Convert your own birth moment to Beijing time first — a birth in the Americas on the previous evening can already be past Lichun in Beijing. Check an exact birth date and time.
The 丁亥 pillar
| 1947 | |
|---|---|
| Stem and branch | 丁亥 (Ding Hai) |
| Place in the sixty-year cycle | 24 of 60 |
| Heavenly stem | 丁 — Yin Fire 火 |
| Earthly branch | 亥 — the Pig 猪, fixed element Water 水 |
| Na yin (纳音) | 屋上土 — an Earth na yin |
| Lichun (start of the zodiac year) | 4 Feb 1947, 23:50 (Beijing time, UTC+8) |
| Chinese New Year | 22 January 1947 |
| Same pillar last seen / next seen | 1887 / 2007 |
Ten stems and twelve branches only return to the same pairing after sixty years, so 丁亥 belongs to 1887, 1947 and 2007 and to no year in between. That is why a sixtieth birthday is traditionally marked: it is the year the whole pillar comes back.
The Fire Pig
Fire Pig (Ding Hai) sets yin Fire over Water, the element that controls it, and the classical image is a lamp on a dark river. The reading is warmth maintained against the odds — optimism that is chosen rather than automatic, and a strong social presence. The caution is that the flame is small relative to the water, so this variant is advised about over-commitment.
| Variant | Stem and branch | Pig years 1924–2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Pig | 乙亥 | 1935, 1995 |
| Fire Pig | 丁亥 | 1947, 2007 |
| Earth Pig | 己亥 | 1959, 2019 |
| Metal Pig | 辛亥 | 1971 |
| Water Pig | 癸亥 | 1983 |
Every Pig year from 1924 to 2027
- 1935Wood Pig
- 1947Fire Pig · this page
- 1959Earth Pig
- 1971Metal Pig
- 1983Water Pig
- 1995Wood Pig
- 2007Fire Pig
- 2019Earth Pig
Born in 1947: the 2027 Goat year
| Pig born 1947 | |
|---|---|
| Age at Lichun 2027 | 79–80 |
| Nominal age 虚岁 | 81 |
| Relationship with the 2027 Tai Sui | Three Harmony 三合 |
| Traditional reading | Favourable — supported by the Tai Sui |
| Ben Ming Nian 本命年 | No — 2027 is a Goat year |
| Lucky element for the year | Metal · white, gold · 4, 9 · West |
At Lichun 2027 someone born in 1947 is 79 if their birthday has not yet come round and 80 if it has. The nominal age (虚岁), counted as one at birth and raised at each Chinese New Year, is 81 once New Year 2027 has passed.
The full reading — the month-by-month table, the five-element relationship with the year stem and the traditional remedies — is on Pig in 2027. For the part of the sign that does not move with the year, see the Pig profile.
Frequently asked questions
- Someone born in January 1947 — Dog or Pig?
- Dog. The Pig year did not begin until Lichun (立春), 4 Feb 1947, 23:50 (Beijing time, UTC+8), so every birthday from 1 January up to that instant still belongs to the Fire Dog year 丙戌. Chinese New Year 1947 fell on 22 January 1947, which is a different boundary again; classical chart work uses Lichun. Convert your birth moment to Beijing time before comparing it, because the Chinese calendar is defined on that meridian.
- Is 1947 a Fire Pig or a Water Pig?
- Fire Pig, and both labels are describing something real. The element in the popular name comes from the year's heavenly stem, which for 1947 is 丁 — Yin Fire. The Water belongs to the branch 亥, the Pig's own fixed element, and it does not change from one Pig year to the next. So 1947 is a Fire stem sitting over a water branch; its na yin, a third system again, is 屋上土.
- How old is someone born in 1947 in 2027?
- 79–80 by the ordinary count at Lichun 2027, and 81 by the nominal count (虚岁) that starts at one and rises at each Chinese New Year. The two answers differ because the ordinary count waits for the birthday and the nominal one does not. 1947 is one of 8 Pig years between 1924 and 2027; in 2027 all of them stand in the same relationship to the Tai Sui — Three Harmony 三合 — but each is a different age.