Quick Answer: What Is the 2021 Chinese Zodiac Sign?
The 2021 Chinese zodiac (生肖, shēngxiào) is the Metal Ox for births from February 12, 2021 through January 31, 2022, inclusive. The traditional year name is Xin-Chou (辛丑, Xīn-Chǒu).[1][2]
- Earlier dates in 2021. Births through February 11 remain in the Metal Rat year.[1]
- The year name. Xin gives Metal. Chou gives the Ox.[4]
- The next change. February 1, 2022 begins the Water Tiger year.[2]
Use Lunar New Year for the festival-calendar sign. Some Four Pillars charts use Start of Spring (立春, Lìchūn) to start the year.[3]
The Metal Ox year starts nearly six weeks after January 1. It also extends into the next Gregorian year. A January 2022 birthday belongs to the same zodiac year as a birthday just after Lunar New Year 2021.
Where the 2021 Metal Ox Dates Begin and End
| Gregorian date of birth | Lunar New Year sign |
|---|---|
| January 1–February 11, 2021 | 金の鼠 |
| February 12, 2021–January 31, 2022 | 金の牛 |
| February 1–December 31, 2022 | 水の虎 |
In 2021, Start of Spring fell on February 3. Someone born on February 8 is a Metal Rat by the festival calendar and a Metal Ox under the solar-term rule. Both readings use the same stem-and-branch sequence, but change the year on different dates.[1][3][4]
What Xin-Chou and Wall Earth Mean
Xin is the Heavenly Stem (天干, tiāngān) for Yin Metal (阴金, yīn jīn) in Wuxing (五行, wǔxíng). Chou is the Earthly Branch (地支, dìzhī) for Ox (牛, niú). The same Gan-Zhi (干支, gānzhī) pair appears in the 1961 Metal Ox year and returns after 60 years.[3][4]
The preceding Metal Rat and the 2021 Metal Ox both belong to Wall Earth (壁上土, Bì Shàng Tǔ) in Na Yin (纳音, nà yīn). This name groups the entire pairs. Metal Ox gets Metal from the Xin stem alone.[4][5]
Metal Ox Folklore and the New Year Stamp
Ox profiles often emphasize perseverance and steady work. Traditional pairings commonly group the Ox with Rat, Snake or Rooster. One year-specific guide gives 0 and 5 as lucky numbers and yellow, brown, gold and white as lucky colors. The Ox zodiac profile covers the animal’s associations across birth years.[4][6][7]
A U.S. 2021 Lunar New Year stamp shows an ox mask with a star at its center and purple flowers. The star invokes the celestial imagery of the zodiac, while the flowers mark the approach of spring. These details carry different meanings within one design.[8]
The 2027 Goat Year in Ox Folk Readings
An animal-pairing chart puts the Ox opposite the Goat and treats that opposition as a point of tension in 2027. A separate 2027 reading for the 2021 cohort discusses attention and routines in childhood. These readings use different starting points and illustrate traditional zodiac interpretation.[4][6]
FAQs About the 2021 Chinese Zodiac
Is January 31, 2022 a Tiger birthday?
January 31 is the last birth date in the Metal Ox year. The Tiger year begins on February 1.[2]
Are the 1961 and 2021 Ox years the same element?
Both are Metal Ox years with the Xin-Chou pair, which repeats every 60 years.[3][4]
Why is Wall Earth listed beside Metal Ox?
Wall Earth is the Na Yin name shared by the 2020 Rat and 2021 Ox. Metal is the element of the 2021 stem.[4][5]
出典
[1] Hong Kong Observatory. 2021 Gregorian–lunar calendar conversion table
[2] Hong Kong Observatory. 2022 Gregorian–lunar calendar conversion table
[3] Hong Kong Observatory（香港天文台）。What year is it today?（今日は何年？）
[4] Zodiac Almanac. 2021 Metal Ox calendar labels and dated folk interpretation
[5] Liao Zhong. Wuxing Jingji, digital edition
[6] TravelChinaGuide. 2021 Metal Ox values and 2027 reading
[7] China Highlights. Chinese zodiac compatibility chart
[8] U.S. Postal Service. New Year, New Ox stamp design