1973 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Ox (癸丑)
癸丑 Gui Chou · Yin Water over the Ox's Earth branch · number 50 of 60
1973 was a 癸丑 (Gui Chou) year — the 50th of the sixty stem-and-branch combinations, and in everyday English a Water Ox year. The element in that name comes from the heavenly stem 癸 (Yin Water); the branch 丑, the Ox itself, carries Earth whatever the stem above it says. Its na yin, the older sixty-part scheme, reads 桑柘木 — a Wood na yin.
The 1973 zodiac year did not start on 1 January. It started at Lichun (立春), 4 Feb 1973, 07:04 (Beijing time, UTC+8), and ran until the instant before Lichun 1974, 4 Feb 1974, 13:00 (Beijing time, UTC+8). Chinese New Year 1973 fell on 3 February 1973, a separate boundary that festivals use; between the two dates the popular and the classical conventions disagree. Anyone born in January or early February 1973 should check the table below before claiming a sign.
1973 is one of 9 Ox years between 1924 and 2027, and the only Water Ox year in that span, because stem and branch only line up again after sixty years: the same 癸丑 pillar last stood in 1913 and returns in 2033.
Which sign a 1973 birthday belongs to
| Born between (Beijing time) | Stem and branch | Sign | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 1973, 00:00 → 4 February 1973, 07:04 | 壬子 | Water Rat | Still the Rat year that opened in 1972. |
| 4 February 1973, 07:04 → 31 December 1973, 23:59 | 癸丑 | Water Ox | The Ox year proper; it runs on past 31 December until Lichun 1974. |
Born on 1 January 1973? That is a Rat, not a Ox: the Water Rat year 壬子 ran on until 4 February 1973 at 07:04 Beijing time.
Lichun is an astronomical instant, not a date: in 1973 it fell at 07:04 Beijing time (UTC+8). The instant itself starts the Ox year, so a birth at 07:04 on that day is already a Ox. 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 癸丑 pillar
| 1973 | |
|---|---|
| Stem and branch | 癸丑 (Gui Chou) |
| Place in the sixty-year cycle | 50 of 60 |
| Heavenly stem | 癸 — Yin Water 水 |
| Earthly branch | 丑 — the Ox 牛, fixed element Earth 土 |
| Na yin (纳音) | 桑柘木 — a Wood na yin |
| Lichun (start of the zodiac year) | 4 Feb 1973, 07:04 (Beijing time, UTC+8) |
| Chinese New Year | 3 February 1973 |
| Same pillar last seen / next seen | 1913 / 2033 |
Ten stems and twelve branches only return to the same pairing after sixty years, so 癸丑 belongs to 1913, 1973 and 2033 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 Water Ox
Water Ox (Gui Chou) sets Water over Earth, which the branch controls, so the relationship is one of managed resource. Tradition reads Gui Chou as the thoughtful Ox — research, study, patient analysis — and pairs it with a note about hidden feeling: water held under frozen ground is not visible, and the sign is described as harder to read than the other four.
| Variant | Stem and branch | Ox years 1924–2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Ox | 乙丑 | 1925, 1985 |
| Fire Ox | 丁丑 | 1937, 1997 |
| Earth Ox | 己丑 | 1949, 2009 |
| Metal Ox | 辛丑 | 1961, 2021 |
| Water Ox | 癸丑 | 1973 |
Every Ox year from 1924 to 2027
- 1925Wood Ox
- 1937Fire Ox
- 1949Earth Ox
- 1961Metal Ox
- 1973Water Ox · this page
- 1985Wood Ox
- 1997Fire Ox
- 2009Earth Ox
- 2021Metal Ox
Born in 1973: the 2027 Goat year
| Ox born 1973 | |
|---|---|
| Age at Lichun 2027 | 53–54 |
| Nominal age 虚岁 | 55 |
| Relationship with the 2027 Tai Sui | Clash 冲太岁 + Punishment 刑太岁 |
| Traditional reading | Challenging — a major Tai Sui affliction |
| Ben Ming Nian 本命年 | No — 2027 is a Goat year |
| Lucky element for the year | Water · black, blue · 1, 6 · North |
At Lichun 2027 someone born in 1973 is 53 if their birthday has not yet come round and 54 if it has. The nominal age (虚岁), counted as one at birth and raised at each Chinese New Year, is 55 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 Ox in 2027. For the part of the sign that does not move with the year, see the Ox profile.
Frequently asked questions
- Someone born in January 1973 — Rat or Ox?
- Rat. The Ox year did not begin until Lichun (立春), 4 Feb 1973, 07:04 (Beijing time, UTC+8), so every birthday from 1 January up to that instant still belongs to the Water Rat year 壬子. Chinese New Year 1973 fell on 3 February 1973, 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 1973 a Water Ox or an Earth Ox?
- Water Ox, and both labels are describing something real. The element in the popular name comes from the year's heavenly stem, which for 1973 is 癸 — Yin Water. The Earth belongs to the branch 丑, the Ox's own fixed element, and it does not change from one Ox year to the next. So 1973 is a Water stem sitting over an earth branch; its na yin, a third system again, is 桑柘木.
- How old is someone born in 1973 in 2027?
- 53–54 by the ordinary count at Lichun 2027, and 55 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. 1973 is one of 9 Ox years between 1924 and 2027; in 2027 all of them stand in the same relationship to the Tai Sui — Clash 冲太岁 + Punishment 刑太岁 — but each is a different age.