Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1941 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Snake
辛巳年 Metal Snake, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Snake, the element and matches.
The answer
1941 is the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Snake year, 辛巳 (xīn sì) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 27 January 1941 to 14 February 1942, so people born from 1 January to 26 January 1941 belong to the previous animal, the Dragon.
1941 at a glance
- Animal
- Snake 蛇 (shé), sixth of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yin (阴), from the stem 辛 (xīn)
- 60-year cycle
- 辛巳 xīn sì · the same Metal Snake year was 2001 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Monday, 27 January 1941 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 14 February 1942 · the Year of the Horse begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1941 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Age in 2026
- Turns 85 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2037
- Best matches
- Rooster and Ox (三合 trine), Monkey (六合 pair) · clashes with the Pig
Born in 1941? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1941 the cut-off was 27 January 1941.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 26 Jan 1941 1941 | Dragon 龙 | Metal | 庚辰 |
| 27 Jan 1941 – 31 Dec 1941 | Snake 蛇 | Metal | 辛巳 |
| 1 Jan 1942 – 14 Feb 1942 | Snake 蛇 (still) | Metal | 辛巳 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1941 in 1941) as the boundary instead, which can move a few days of January or February births to the other animal. The Lunar New Year rule is the everyday one. Not sure? Use the Chinese zodiac calculator.
What the Snake means
Tradition calls Snake people wise, calm and private, and pairs them best with the Rooster and Ox. The element adds a layer: a Metal Snake is read differently from a Water Snake. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Snake years. Read the full Year of the Snake guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Snake
The Snake returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Metal Snake itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | Wood Snake 木蛇 · 乙巳 | 4 Feb 1905 | 24 Jan 1906 |
| 1917 | Fire Snake 火蛇 · 丁巳 | 23 Jan 1917 | 10 Feb 1918 |
| 1929 | Earth Snake 土蛇 · 己巳 | 10 Feb 1929 | 29 Jan 1930 |
| 1941 | Metal Snake 金蛇 · 辛巳 | 27 Jan 1941 | 14 Feb 1942 |
| 1953 | Water Snake 水蛇 · 癸巳 | 14 Feb 1953 | 2 Feb 1954 |
| 1965 | Wood Snake 木蛇 · 乙巳 | 2 Feb 1965 | 20 Jan 1966 |
| 1977 | Fire Snake 火蛇 · 丁巳 | 18 Feb 1977 | 6 Feb 1978 |
| 1989 | Earth Snake 土蛇 · 己巳 | 6 Feb 1989 | 26 Jan 1990 |
| 2001 | Metal Snake 金蛇 · 辛巳 | 24 Jan 2001 | 11 Feb 2002 |
Matches for people born in 1941
Traditional compatibility pairs the 12 animals on a wheel: the three animals four places apart form a 三合 (sānhé) trine, each animal has one 六合 (liùhé) partner, and the animal opposite is its 六冲 (liùchōng) clash. These are folk rules used in match-making and in choosing wedding dates, not predictions.
Festival dates in 1941
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1941. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1941 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 27 January 1941 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 10 February 1941 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1941 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 30 May 1941 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 5 October 1941 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 26 January 1941 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1941?
1941 is the Year of the Snake (蛇, shé). In the full 60-year cycle it is 辛巳, a Metal Snake year, yin (阴). It began on 27 January 1941 and ended on 14 February 1942; 1942 is the Year of the Horse.
I was born in January or February 1941. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Snake started on 27 January 1941. Born on or after that date, you are a Snake; born between 1 January and 26 January 1941, you are a Dragon. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1941 in 1941; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1941 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 辛 (xīn), which also makes 1941 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Snake, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2001 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1941 in 2026?
Someone born in 1941 turns 85 in 2026 (84 until their birthday). In traditional Chinese reckoning (虚岁, xūsuì) a person is one at birth and gains a year at Lunar New Year, so the same person counts as 86 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Snake?
The Year of the Snake returns every 12 years.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac (animals, stems and the 60-year cycle) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, What is benmingnian? (2 January 2024, in Chinese) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — published. Lunar New Year and Lichun dates computed in Beijing time and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; births from the National Bureau of Statistics annual series. Suggest a correction
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