Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1977 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Snake
丁巳年 Fire Snake, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Snake, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1977.
The answer
1977 is the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac: a Fire Snake year, 丁巳 (dīng sì) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 18 February 1977 to 6 February 1978, so people born from 1 January to 17 February 1977 belong to the previous animal, the Dragon. China recorded 17.86 million births in 1977.
1977 at a glance
- Animal
- Snake 蛇 (shé), sixth of the 12
- Element
- Fire 火, yin (阴), from the stem 丁 (dīng)
- 60-year cycle
- 丁巳 dīng sì · the same Fire Snake year was 1917 and comes again in 2037
- Starts
- Friday, 18 February 1977 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Monday, 6 February 1978 · the Year of the Horse begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1977 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1977
- 17.86 million in mainland China (NBS), −3.6% on 1976
- Age in 2026
- Turns 49 · 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 1977? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1977 the cut-off was 18 February 1977.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 17 Feb 1977 1977 | Dragon 龙 | Fire | 丙辰 |
| 18 Feb 1977 – 31 Dec 1977 | Snake 蛇 | Fire | 丁巳 |
| 1 Jan 1978 – 6 Feb 1978 | Snake 蛇 (still) | Fire | 丁巳 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1977 in 1977) 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 Snakes: China’s births in 1977
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 17.86 million births in mainland China in 1977, −3.6% compared with 1976 (18.53 million); 1978 had 17.45 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1977 ranks 49th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1977’s babies belong to the Dragon and the first weeks of 1978 to the Snake. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
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 Fire Snake is read differently from a Earth 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 Fire Snake itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2013 | Water Snake 水蛇 · 癸巳 | 10 Feb 2013 | 30 Jan 2014 |
| 2025 | Wood Snake 木蛇 · 乙巳 | 29 Jan 2025 | 16 Feb 2026 |
| 2037 | Fire Snake 火蛇 · 丁巳 | 15 Feb 2037 | 3 Feb 2038 |
Matches for people born in 1977
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 1977
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1977. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1977 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 18 February 1977 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 4 March 1977 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1977 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 21 June 1977 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 27 September 1977 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 17 February 1977 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1977?
1977 is the Year of the Snake (蛇, shé). In the full 60-year cycle it is 丁巳, a Fire Snake year, yin (阴). It began on 18 February 1977 and ended on 6 February 1978; 1978 is the Year of the Horse.
I was born in January or February 1977. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Snake started on 18 February 1977. Born on or after that date, you are a Snake; born between 1 January and 17 February 1977, 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 1977 in 1977; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1977 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire (火, huǒ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 丁 (dīng), which also makes 1977 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Fire Snake, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1917 and the next is 2037.
How old is someone born in 1977 in 2026?
Someone born in 1977 turns 49 in 2026 (48 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 50 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Snake?
2037, starting on 15 February 2037. For someone born in 1977 that is a 本命年 (běnmìngnián), their own zodiac year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful in; many people wear something red for it.
How many babies were born in China in 1977?
About 17.86 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −3.6% compared with 1976. That ranks 1977 49th 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
Newsletter · Free · Every Thursday
The China Brief
What China is talking about, in plain English. Every Thursday.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click.