Animal 2 of 12 · Earth · Yin
The Ox
Endurance, reliability and quiet stubbornness.
Strength. Finishes what it starts, without supervision and without complaint.
Friction. Immovable once decided, and reads flexibility as weakness.
Each animal also governs two hours of the day — the Ox holds 01:00–03:00. Someone born in those hours is said to carry the Ox as an inner sign regardless of their year.
Traits
Ox years
| Year | Element | New year began |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Fire Ox | 11 February |
| 1949 | Earth Ox | 29 January |
| 1961 | Metal Ox | 15 February |
| 1973 | Water Ox | 3 February |
| 1985 | Wood Ox | 20 February |
| 1997 | Fire Ox | 7 February |
| 2009 | Earth Ox | 26 January |
| 2021 | Metal Ox | 12 February |
Born in January or early February of one of these years? Check the new year date — you may belong to the previous animal.
The five Oxs
The Ox's own fixed element is Earth. The element of the year interacts with it differently each time, which is what separates the five versions — and why the cycle runs sixty years.
| Version | Years | Relation to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Ox | 1925, 1985 | Controls it — most restrained |
| Fire Ox | 1937, 1997 | Feeds it — best supported |
| Earth Ox | 1949, 2009 | Doubled — strongest expression |
| Metal Ox | 1961, 2021 | Drained by it — productive but costly |
| Water Ox | 1973, 2033 | Dominated by it — most forceful |
Calculated from the lunar calendar
Not every Ox year is the same length
A lunisolar year runs 12 or 13 lunar months, so it lasts between 353 and 385 days rather than a fixed 365. That means the window for being born under a sign is genuinely wider in some years than others.
| Year | Ran from | To | Days | Lunar months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 24 Jan 1925 | 12 Feb 1926 | 385 | 13 — leap year |
| 1937 | 11 Feb 1937 | 30 Jan 1938 | 354 | 12 |
| 1949 | 29 Jan 1949 | 16 Feb 1950 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 1961 | 15 Feb 1961 | 4 Feb 1962 | 355 | 12 |
| 1973 | 3 Feb 1973 | 22 Jan 1974 | 354 | 12 |
| 1985 | 20 Feb 1985 | 8 Feb 1986 | 354 | 12 |
| 1997 | 7 Feb 1997 | 27 Jan 1998 | 355 | 12 |
| 2009 | 26 Jan 2009 | 13 Feb 2010 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 2021 | 12 Feb 2021 | 31 Jan 2022 | 354 | 12 |
A leap month is inserted seven times every nineteen years to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the seasons. Those are the 13-month years, and they run a full month longer than the others — a difference of about a month in how long a sign lasts.
The next Ox year is 2033
By tradition that is the year for a Ox to be careful in, not to celebrate. Why your own animal's year is considered unlucky.
Ox compatibility
| With | Relation | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snake | Traditional ally | 90% |
| Rooster | Traditional ally | 90% |
| Rat | Traditional ally | 88% |
| Rabbit | Sextile — easy | 78% |
| Pig | Sextile — easy | 78% |
| Ox | Same sign | 72% |
| Tiger | Neutral | 68% |
| Horse | Neutral | 68% |
| Monkey | Neutral | 68% |
| Dragon | Square — friction | 60% |
| Dog | Square — friction | 60% |
| Goat | Traditional clash | 45% |