Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1959 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Pig
己亥年 Earth Pig, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Pig, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1959.
The answer
1959 is the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Pig year, 己亥 (jǐ hài) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 8 February 1959 to 27 January 1960, so people born from 1 January to 7 February 1959 belong to the previous animal, the Dog. China recorded 16.5 million births in 1959.
1959 at a glance
- Animal
- Pig 猪 (zhū), twelfth of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yin (阴), from the stem 己 (jǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 己亥 jǐ hài · the same Earth Pig year was 2019 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Sunday, 8 February 1959 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Wednesday, 27 January 1960 · the Year of the Rat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1959 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1959
- 16.5 million in mainland China (NBS), −13.5% on 1958
- Age in 2026
- Turns 67 · 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 1959? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1959 the cut-off was 8 February 1959.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 7 Feb 1959 1959 | Dog 狗 | Earth | 戊戌 |
| 8 Feb 1959 – 31 Dec 1959 | Pig 猪 | Earth | 己亥 |
| 1 Jan 1960 – 27 Jan 1960 | Pig 猪 (still) | Earth | 己亥 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1959 in 1959) 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 Pigs: China’s births in 1959
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 16.5 million births in mainland China in 1959, −13.5% compared with 1958 (19.09 million); 1960 had 13.91 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1959 ranks 58th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1959’s babies belong to the Dog and the first weeks of 1960 to the Pig. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
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 Earth Pig is read differently from a Metal 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 Earth 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 |
| 2019 | Earth Pig 土猪 · 己亥 | 5 Feb 2019 | 24 Jan 2020 |
Matches for people born in 1959
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 1959
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1959. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1959 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 8 February 1959 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 22 February 1959 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1959 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 10 June 1959 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 17 September 1959 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 7 February 1959 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1959?
1959 is the Year of the Pig (猪, zhū). In the full 60-year cycle it is 己亥, a Earth Pig year, yin (阴). It began on 8 February 1959 and ended on 27 January 1960; 1960 is the Year of the Rat.
I was born in January or February 1959. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Pig started on 8 February 1959. Born on or after that date, you are a Pig; born between 1 January and 7 February 1959, 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 1959 in 1959; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1959 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 己 (jǐ), which also makes 1959 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Pig, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2019 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1959 in 2026?
Someone born in 1959 turns 67 in 2026 (66 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 68 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Pig?
The Year of the Pig returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1959?
About 16.5 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −13.5% compared with 1958. That ranks 1959 58th 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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