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1949 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Ox
1949 is the year of the Earth Ox, 己丑: from Chinese New Year on 29 January 1949 to 16 February 1950.
Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The Earth Ox
Element
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. In the sixty-year cycle each animal meets each element once, so the Earth Ox came last in 1889 and returns in 2009. The year's 纳音 (the "sound" of its stem and branch in the old almanacs) is 霹雳火.
Company
The Ox shares a trine with the Snake and the Rooster; its secret friend is the Rat. Those signs are said to find an Ox year easiest. The Ox would have won the river race, but carried the Rat across and came second without complaint.
Years of the Ox
Each starts at Chinese New Year.
- 1925Wood Ox, from 24 January 1925
- 1937Fire Ox, from 11 February 1937
- 1949Earth Ox, from 29 January 1949
- 1961Metal Ox, from 15 February 1961
- 1973Water Ox, from 3 February 1973
- 1985Wood Ox, from 20 February 1985
- 1997Fire Ox, from 7 February 1997
- 2009Earth Ox, from 26 January 2009
- 2021Metal Ox, from 12 February 2021
- 2033Water Ox, from 31 January 2033
Born in 1949?
Between 29 January 1949 and 16 February 1950 you are an Earth Ox.
Anyone born from 29 January 1949 to 16 February 1950 is an Earth Ox (己丑) and turns 77 in 2026. Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1949, before the 29 January 1949 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rat, is yours: the zodiac follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January. The zodiac calculator settles it from the exact date.
Your zodiac years (本命年, when the Ox comes round again) are 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033, 2045, 2057; the next one is 2033. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit an Ox best are the Snake, the Rooster and the Rat: the compatibility table has every pair.
Questions
What is the Chinese zodiac for 1949?
1949 is the Year of the Earth Ox. Anyone born from 29 January 1949 to 16 February 1950 is an Ox; a birthday earlier in 1949, before Chinese New Year, belongs to the Rat.
When does the Year of the Ox 1949 start and end?
It starts at Chinese New Year, 29 January 1949, and ends on 16 February 1950, the day before the next new year.
What element is the Ox in 1949?
Earth (土), from the heavenly stem 己. Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre.
Is a baby born in January 1949 an Ox?
No. A baby born before 29 January 1949 belongs to the previous animal, the Rat. The zodiac year follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January.
Which other years were Earth Ox years?
2009. The same stem and branch return every sixty years.
Your Ox in ink
The Ox painted in ink wash above your name and lunar birthday.
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Enter your birthday; we set the animal, the element, the lunar date and your name, and add a Chinese name as a seal if you have one.
Start with my birthdayMore about the animal: Year of the Ox. All twelve: the zodiac.