Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1958 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dog
戊戌年 Earth Dog, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Dog, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1958.
The answer
1958 is the Year of the Dog in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Dog year, 戊戌 (wù xū) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 18 February 1958 to 7 February 1959, so people born from 1 January to 17 February 1958 belong to the previous animal, the Rooster. China recorded 19.09 million births in 1958.
1958 at a glance
- Animal
- Dog 狗 (gǒu), eleventh of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yang (阳), from the stem 戊 (wù)
- 60-year cycle
- 戊戌 wù xū · the same Earth Dog year was 2018 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Tuesday, 18 February 1958 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 7 February 1959 · the Year of the Pig begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1958 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1958
- 19.09 million in mainland China (NBS), −12% on 1957
- Age in 2026
- Turns 68 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2030
- Best matches
- Tiger and Horse (三合 trine), Rabbit (六合 pair) · clashes with the Dragon
Born in 1958? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1958 the cut-off was 18 February 1958.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 17 Feb 1958 1958 | Rooster 鸡 | Fire | 丁酉 |
| 18 Feb 1958 – 31 Dec 1958 | Dog 狗 | Earth | 戊戌 |
| 1 Jan 1959 – 7 Feb 1959 | Dog 狗 (still) | Earth | 戊戌 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1958 in 1958) 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 Dogs: China’s births in 1958
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 19.09 million births in mainland China in 1958, −12% compared with 1957 (21.69 million); 1959 had 16.5 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1958 ranks 41th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1958’s babies belong to the Rooster and the first weeks of 1959 to the Dog. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Dog means
Tradition calls Dog people loyal, honest and brave, and pairs them best with the Tiger and Horse. The element adds a layer: a Earth Dog is read differently from a Metal Dog. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Dog years. Read the full Year of the Dog guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Dog
The Dog returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Dog itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | Metal Dog 金狗 · 庚戌 | 10 Feb 1910 | 29 Jan 1911 |
| 1922 | Water Dog 水狗 · 壬戌 | 28 Jan 1922 | 15 Feb 1923 |
| 1934 | Wood Dog 木狗 · 甲戌 | 14 Feb 1934 | 3 Feb 1935 |
| 1946 | Fire Dog 火狗 · 丙戌 | 2 Feb 1946 | 21 Jan 1947 |
| 1958 | Earth Dog 土狗 · 戊戌 | 18 Feb 1958 | 7 Feb 1959 |
| 1970 | Metal Dog 金狗 · 庚戌 | 6 Feb 1970 | 26 Jan 1971 |
| 1982 | Water Dog 水狗 · 壬戌 | 25 Jan 1982 | 12 Feb 1983 |
| 1994 | Wood Dog 木狗 · 甲戌 | 10 Feb 1994 | 30 Jan 1995 |
| 2006 | Fire Dog 火狗 · 丙戌 | 29 Jan 2006 | 17 Feb 2007 |
| 2018 | Earth Dog 土狗 · 戊戌 | 16 Feb 2018 | 4 Feb 2019 |
Matches for people born in 1958
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 1958
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1958. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1958 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 18 February 1958 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 4 March 1958 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1958 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 21 June 1958 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 27 September 1958 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 17 February 1958 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1958?
1958 is the Year of the Dog (狗, gǒu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 戊戌, a Earth Dog year, yang (阳). It began on 18 February 1958 and ended on 7 February 1959; 1959 is the Year of the Pig.
I was born in January or February 1958. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Dog started on 18 February 1958. Born on or after that date, you are a Dog; born between 1 January and 17 February 1958, you are a Rooster. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1958 in 1958; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1958 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 戊 (wù), which also makes 1958 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Dog, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2018 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1958 in 2026?
Someone born in 1958 turns 68 in 2026 (67 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 69 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Dog?
The Year of the Dog returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1958?
About 19.09 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −12% compared with 1957. That ranks 1958 41th 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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