1971 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Pig (辛亥)
辛亥 Xin Hai · Yin Metal over the Pig's Water branch · number 48 of 60
1971 was a 辛亥 (Xin Hai) year — the 48th of the sixty stem-and-branch combinations, and in everyday English a Metal Pig year. The element in that name comes from the heavenly stem 辛 (Yin Metal); the branch 亥, the Pig itself, carries Water whatever the stem above it says. Its na yin, the older sixty-part scheme, reads 钗钏金 — a Metal na yin.
The 1971 zodiac year did not start on 1 January. It started at Lichun (立春), 4 Feb 1971, 19:25 (Beijing time, UTC+8), and ran until the instant before Lichun 1972, 5 Feb 1972, 01:20 (Beijing time, UTC+8). Chinese New Year 1971 fell on 27 January 1971, a separate boundary that festivals use; between the two dates the popular and the classical conventions disagree. Anyone born in January or early February 1971 should check the table below before claiming a sign.
1971 is one of 8 Pig years between 1924 and 2027, and the only Metal Pig year in that span, because stem and branch only line up again after sixty years: the same 辛亥 pillar last stood in 1911 and returns in 2031.
Which sign a 1971 birthday belongs to
| Born between (Beijing time) | Stem and branch | Sign | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 1971, 00:00 → 4 February 1971, 19:25 | 庚戌 | Metal Dog | Still the Dog year that opened in 1970. |
| 4 February 1971, 19:25 → 31 December 1971, 23:59 | 辛亥 | Metal Pig | The Pig year proper; it runs on past 31 December until Lichun 1972. |
Born on 1 January 1971? That is a Dog, not a Pig: the Metal Dog year 庚戌 ran on until 4 February 1971 at 19:25 Beijing time.
Lichun is an astronomical instant, not a date: in 1971 it fell at 19:25 Beijing time (UTC+8). The instant itself starts the Pig year, so a birth at 19:25 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 辛亥 pillar
| 1971 | |
|---|---|
| Stem and branch | 辛亥 (Xin Hai) |
| Place in the sixty-year cycle | 48 of 60 |
| Heavenly stem | 辛 — Yin Metal 金 |
| Earthly branch | 亥 — the Pig 猪, fixed element Water 水 |
| Na yin (纳音) | 钗钏金 — a Metal na yin |
| Lichun (start of the zodiac year) | 4 Feb 1971, 19:25 (Beijing time, UTC+8) |
| Chinese New Year | 27 January 1971 |
| Same pillar last seen / next seen | 1911 / 2031 |
Ten stems and twelve branches only return to the same pairing after sixty years, so 辛亥 belongs to 1911, 1971 and 2031 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 Metal Pig
Metal Pig (Xin Hai) has Metal producing Water, the resource relationship, so the stem keeps the branch supplied. The reading is sincerity with discernment attached: the variant best able to tell a genuine request from a practised one, and the most likely to convert generosity into something structured. The classical caution concerns a sharpness that surprises people who expected only softness.
| 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
- 1959Earth Pig
- 1971Metal Pig · this page
- 1983Water Pig
- 1995Wood Pig
- 2007Fire Pig
- 2019Earth Pig
Born in 1971: the 2027 Goat year
| Pig born 1971 | |
|---|---|
| Age at Lichun 2027 | 55–56 |
| Nominal age 虚岁 | 57 |
| 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 1971 is 55 if their birthday has not yet come round and 56 if it has. The nominal age (虚岁), counted as one at birth and raised at each Chinese New Year, is 57 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 1971 — Dog or Pig?
- Dog. The Pig year did not begin until Lichun (立春), 4 Feb 1971, 19:25 (Beijing time, UTC+8), so every birthday from 1 January up to that instant still belongs to the Metal Dog year 庚戌. Chinese New Year 1971 fell on 27 January 1971, 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 1971 a Metal Pig or a Water Pig?
- Metal Pig, and both labels are describing something real. The element in the popular name comes from the year's heavenly stem, which for 1971 is 辛 — Yin Metal. 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 1971 is a Metal stem sitting over a water branch; its na yin, a third system again, is 钗钏金.
- How old is someone born in 1971 in 2027?
- 55–56 by the ordinary count at Lichun 2027, and 57 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. 1971 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.