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1971 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Pig
1971 is the year of the Metal Pig, 辛亥: from Chinese New Year on 27 January 1971 to 14 February 1972.
Generous, easy-going and sincere. The Pig closes the cycle with abundance; it is the sign of enjoying what has been earned. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
The Metal Pig
Element
Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. In the sixty-year cycle each animal meets each element once, so the Metal Pig came last in 1911 and returns in 2031. The year's 纳音 (the "sound" of its stem and branch in the old almanacs) is 钗钏金.
Company
The Pig shares a trine with the Rabbit and the Goat; its secret friend is the Tiger. Those signs are said to find a Pig year easiest. A pig under a roof is the character 家, home: a household was counted complete when it kept one.
Years of the Pig
Each starts at Chinese New Year.
- 1935Wood Pig, from 4 February 1935
- 1947Fire Pig, from 22 January 1947
- 1959Earth Pig, from 8 February 1959
- 1971Metal Pig, from 27 January 1971
- 1983Water Pig, from 13 February 1983
- 1995Wood Pig, from 31 January 1995
- 2007Fire Pig, from 18 February 2007
- 2019Earth Pig, from 5 February 2019
- 2031Metal Pig, from 23 January 2031
- 2043Water Pig, from 10 February 2043
Born in 1971?
Between 27 January 1971 and 14 February 1972 you are a Metal Pig.
Anyone born from 27 January 1971 to 14 February 1972 is a Metal Pig (辛亥) and turns 55 in 2026. Generous, easy-going and sincere. The Pig closes the cycle with abundance; it is the sign of enjoying what has been earned. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1971, before the 27 January 1971 new year? Then the previous animal, the Dog, 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 Pig comes round again) are 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043, 2055; the next one is 2031. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Pig best are the Rabbit, the Goat and the Tiger: the compatibility table has every pair.
Questions
What is the Chinese zodiac for 1971?
1971 is the Year of the Metal Pig. Anyone born from 27 January 1971 to 14 February 1972 is a Pig; a birthday earlier in 1971, before Chinese New Year, belongs to the Dog.
When does the Year of the Pig 1971 start and end?
It starts at Chinese New Year, 27 January 1971, and ends on 14 February 1972, the day before the next new year.
What element is the Pig in 1971?
Metal (金), from the heavenly stem 辛. Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell.
Is a baby born in January 1971 a Pig?
No. A baby born before 27 January 1971 belongs to the previous animal, the Dog. The zodiac year follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January.
Which other years were Metal Pig years?
2031. The same stem and branch return every sixty years.
Your Pig in ink
The Pig painted in ink wash above your name and lunar birthday.
Make the poster
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 Pig. All twelve: the zodiac.