Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1947 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Pig
丁亥年 Fire Pig, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Pig, the element and matches.
The answer
1947 is the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac: a Fire Pig year, 丁亥 (dīng hài) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 22 January 1947 to 9 February 1948, so people born from 1 January to 21 January 1947 belong to the previous animal, the Dog.
1947 at a glance
- Animal
- Pig 猪 (zhū), twelfth of the 12
- Element
- Fire 火, yin (阴), from the stem 丁 (dīng)
- 60-year cycle
- 丁亥 dīng hài · the same Fire Pig year was 2007 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Wednesday, 22 January 1947 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Monday, 9 February 1948 · the Year of the Rat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1947 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Age in 2026
- Turns 79 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2031
- Best matches
- Rabbit and Goat (三合 trine), Tiger (六合 pair) · clashes with the Snake
Born in 1947? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1947 the cut-off was 22 January 1947.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 21 Jan 1947 1947 | Dog 狗 | Fire | 丙戌 |
| 22 Jan 1947 – 31 Dec 1947 | Pig 猪 | Fire | 丁亥 |
| 1 Jan 1948 – 9 Feb 1948 | Pig 猪 (still) | Fire | 丁亥 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1947 in 1947) 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 Pig means
Tradition calls Pig people generous, sincere and optimistic, and pairs them best with the Rabbit and Goat. The element adds a layer: a Fire Pig is read differently from a Earth Pig. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Pig years. Read the full Year of the Pig guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Pig
The Pig returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Fire Pig itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Metal Pig 金猪 · 辛亥 | 30 Jan 1911 | 17 Feb 1912 |
| 1923 | Water Pig 水猪 · 癸亥 | 16 Feb 1923 | 4 Feb 1924 |
| 1935 | Wood Pig 木猪 · 乙亥 | 4 Feb 1935 | 23 Jan 1936 |
| 1947 | Fire Pig 火猪 · 丁亥 | 22 Jan 1947 | 9 Feb 1948 |
| 1959 | Earth Pig 土猪 · 己亥 | 8 Feb 1959 | 27 Jan 1960 |
| 1971 | Metal Pig 金猪 · 辛亥 | 27 Jan 1971 | 14 Feb 1972 |
| 1983 | Water Pig 水猪 · 癸亥 | 13 Feb 1983 | 1 Feb 1984 |
| 1995 | Wood Pig 木猪 · 乙亥 | 31 Jan 1995 | 18 Feb 1996 |
| 2007 | Fire Pig 火猪 · 丁亥 | 18 Feb 2007 | 6 Feb 2008 |
Matches for people born in 1947
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 1947
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1947. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1947 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 22 January 1947 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 5 February 1947 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1947 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 23 June 1947 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 29 September 1947 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 21 January 1947 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1947?
1947 is the Year of the Pig (猪, zhū). In the full 60-year cycle it is 丁亥, a Fire Pig year, yin (阴). It began on 22 January 1947 and ended on 9 February 1948; 1948 is the Year of the Rat.
I was born in January or February 1947. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Pig started on 22 January 1947. Born on or after that date, you are a Pig; born between 1 January and 21 January 1947, you are a Dog. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1947 in 1947; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1947 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire (火, huǒ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 丁 (dīng), which also makes 1947 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Fire Pig, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2007 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1947 in 2026?
Someone born in 1947 turns 79 in 2026 (78 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 80 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Pig?
The Year of the Pig 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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