Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1951 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rabbit
辛卯年 Metal Rabbit, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rabbit, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1951.
The answer
1951 is the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Rabbit year, 辛卯 (xīn mǎo) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 6 February 1951 to 26 January 1952, so people born from 1 January to 5 February 1951 belong to the previous animal, the Tiger. China recorded 21.07 million births in 1951.
1951 at a glance
- Animal
- Rabbit 兔 (tù), fourth of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yin (阴), from the stem 辛 (xīn)
- 60-year cycle
- 辛卯 xīn mǎo · the same Metal Rabbit year was 2011 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Tuesday, 6 February 1951 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 26 January 1952 · the Year of the Dragon begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1951 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1951
- 21.07 million in mainland China (NBS), +4.2% on 1950
- Age in 2026
- Turns 75 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2035
- Best matches
- Goat and Pig (三合 trine), Dog (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rooster
Born in 1951? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1951 the cut-off was 6 February 1951.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 5 Feb 1951 1951 | Tiger 虎 | Metal | 庚寅 |
| 6 Feb 1951 – 31 Dec 1951 | Rabbit 兔 | Metal | 辛卯 |
| 1 Jan 1952 – 26 Jan 1952 | Rabbit 兔 (still) | Metal | 辛卯 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1951 in 1951) 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.
How many Rabbits: China’s births in 1951
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 21.07 million births in mainland China in 1951, +4.2% compared with 1950 (20.23 million); 1952 had 21.05 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1951 ranks 29th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1951’s babies belong to the Tiger and the first weeks of 1952 to the Rabbit. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Rabbit means
Tradition calls Rabbit people gentle, considerate and diplomatic, and pairs them best with the Goat and Pig. The element adds a layer: a Metal Rabbit is read differently from a Water Rabbit. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Rabbit years. Read the full Year of the Rabbit guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Rabbit
The Rabbit returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Metal Rabbit itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | Water Rabbit 水兔 · 癸卯 | 29 Jan 1903 | 15 Feb 1904 |
| 1915 | Wood Rabbit 木兔 · 乙卯 | 14 Feb 1915 | 2 Feb 1916 |
| 1927 | Fire Rabbit 火兔 · 丁卯 | 2 Feb 1927 | 22 Jan 1928 |
| 1939 | Earth Rabbit 土兔 · 己卯 | 19 Feb 1939 | 7 Feb 1940 |
| 1951 | Metal Rabbit 金兔 · 辛卯 | 6 Feb 1951 | 26 Jan 1952 |
| 1963 | Water Rabbit 水兔 · 癸卯 | 25 Jan 1963 | 12 Feb 1964 |
| 1975 | Wood Rabbit 木兔 · 乙卯 | 11 Feb 1975 | 30 Jan 1976 |
| 1987 | Fire Rabbit 火兔 · 丁卯 | 29 Jan 1987 | 16 Feb 1988 |
| 1999 | Earth Rabbit 土兔 · 己卯 | 16 Feb 1999 | 4 Feb 2000 |
| 2011 | Metal Rabbit 金兔 · 辛卯 | 3 Feb 2011 | 22 Jan 2012 |
Matches for people born in 1951
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 1951
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1951. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1951 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 6 February 1951 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 20 February 1951 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1951 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 9 June 1951 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 15 September 1951 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 5 February 1951 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1951?
1951 is the Year of the Rabbit (兔, tù). In the full 60-year cycle it is 辛卯, a Metal Rabbit year, yin (阴). It began on 6 February 1951 and ended on 26 January 1952; 1952 is the Year of the Dragon.
I was born in January or February 1951. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rabbit started on 6 February 1951. Born on or after that date, you are a Rabbit; born between 1 January and 5 February 1951, you are a Tiger. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1951 in 1951; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1951 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 辛 (xīn), which also makes 1951 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Rabbit, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2011 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1951 in 2026?
Someone born in 1951 turns 75 in 2026 (74 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 76 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rabbit?
The Year of the Rabbit returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1951?
About 21.07 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +4.2% compared with 1950. That ranks 1951 29th of the 77 years from 1949 to 2025.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Data (年度数据 → 人口 → 出生人口) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2024 national economic and social development (births 9.54 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2025 national economic and social development (births 7.92 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS public Q&A: where to find births for years before 1982 (data.stats.gov.cn; pre-1982 data from household registration) · 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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