2021 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Ox (辛丑)
辛丑 Xin Chou · Yin Metal over the Ox's Earth branch · number 38 of 60
2021 was a 辛丑 (Xin Chou) year — the 38th of the sixty stem-and-branch combinations, and in everyday English a Metal Ox year. The element in that name comes from the heavenly stem 辛 (Yin Metal); the branch 丑, the Ox itself, carries Earth whatever the stem above it says. Its na yin, the older sixty-part scheme, reads 壁上土 — an Earth na yin.
The 2021 zodiac year did not start on 1 January. It started at Lichun (立春), 3 Feb 2021, 22:58 (Beijing time, UTC+8), and ran until the instant before Lichun 2022, 4 Feb 2022, 04:50 (Beijing time, UTC+8). Chinese New Year 2021 fell on 12 February 2021, a separate boundary that festivals use; between the two dates the popular and the classical conventions disagree. Anyone born in January or early February 2021 should check the table below before claiming a sign.
2021 is one of 9 Ox years between 1924 and 2027, and one of 2 Metal Ox years in that span (1961 and 2021), because stem and branch only line up again after sixty years: the same 辛丑 pillar last stood in 1961 and returns in 2081.
Which sign a 2021 birthday belongs to
| Born between (Beijing time) | Stem and branch | Sign | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2021, 00:00 → 3 February 2021, 22:58 | 庚子 | Metal Rat | Still the Rat year that opened in 2020. |
| 3 February 2021, 22:58 → 31 December 2021, 23:59 | 辛丑 | Metal Ox | The Ox year proper; it runs on past 31 December until Lichun 2022. |
Born on 1 January 2021? That is a Rat, not a Ox: the Metal Rat year 庚子 ran on until 3 February 2021 at 22:58 Beijing time.
Lichun is an astronomical instant, not a date: in 2021 it fell at 22:58 Beijing time (UTC+8). The instant itself starts the Ox year, so a birth at 22:58 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 辛丑 pillar
| 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Stem and branch | 辛丑 (Xin Chou) |
| Place in the sixty-year cycle | 38 of 60 |
| Heavenly stem | 辛 — Yin Metal 金 |
| Earthly branch | 丑 — the Ox 牛, fixed element Earth 土 |
| Na yin (纳音) | 壁上土 — an Earth na yin |
| Lichun (start of the zodiac year) | 3 Feb 2021, 22:58 (Beijing time, UTC+8) |
| Chinese New Year | 12 February 2021 |
| Same pillar last seen / next seen | 1961 / 2081 |
Ten stems and twelve branches only return to the same pairing after sixty years, so 辛丑 belongs to 1961, 2021 and 2081 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 Ox
Metal Ox (Xin Chou) draws out what the branch already stores, since Chou is the Metal vault and Xin is refined Metal. The reading is precision on top of endurance: quality standards, craftsmanship, an eye for the flaw. It is also the variant most associated with sharp judgement of other people, and the classical advice is to keep the standard and lose the commentary.
| 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
- 1985Wood Ox
- 1997Fire Ox
- 2009Earth Ox
- 2021Metal Ox · this page
Born in 2021: the 2027 Goat year
| Ox born 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Age at Lichun 2027 | 5–6 |
| Nominal age 虚岁 | 7 |
| 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 2021 is 5 if their birthday has not yet come round and 6 if it has. The nominal age (虚岁), counted as one at birth and raised at each Chinese New Year, is 7 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 2021 — Rat or Ox?
- Rat. The Ox year did not begin until Lichun (立春), 3 Feb 2021, 22:58 (Beijing time, UTC+8), so every birthday from 1 January up to that instant still belongs to the Metal Rat year 庚子. Chinese New Year 2021 fell on 12 February 2021, 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 2021 a Metal Ox or an Earth Ox?
- Metal Ox, and both labels are describing something real. The element in the popular name comes from the year's heavenly stem, which for 2021 is 辛 — Yin Metal. 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 2021 is a Metal stem sitting over an earth branch; its na yin, a third system again, is 壁上土.
- How old is someone born in 2021 in 2027?
- 5–6 by the ordinary count at Lichun 2027, and 7 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. 2021 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.