Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1978 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Horse
戊午年 Earth Horse, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Horse, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1978.
The answer
1978 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Horse year, 戊午 (wù wǔ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 7 February 1978 to 27 January 1979, so people born from 1 January to 6 February 1978 belong to the previous animal, the Snake. China recorded 17.45 million births in 1978.
1978 at a glance
- Animal
- Horse 马 (mǎ), seventh of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yang (阳), from the stem 戊 (wù)
- 60-year cycle
- 戊午 wù wǔ · the same Earth Horse year was 1918 and comes again in 2038
- Starts
- Tuesday, 7 February 1978 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 27 January 1979 · the Year of the Goat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1978 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1978
- 17.45 million in mainland China (NBS), −2.3% on 1977
- Age in 2026
- Turns 48 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2026 (this year)
- Best matches
- Dog and Tiger (三合 trine), Goat (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rat
Born in 1978? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1978 the cut-off was 7 February 1978.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 6 Feb 1978 1978 | Snake 蛇 | Fire | 丁巳 |
| 7 Feb 1978 – 31 Dec 1978 | Horse 马 | Earth | 戊午 |
| 1 Jan 1979 – 27 Jan 1979 | Horse 马 (still) | Earth | 戊午 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1978 in 1978) 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 Horses: China’s births in 1978
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 17.45 million births in mainland China in 1978, −2.3% compared with 1977 (17.86 million); 1979 had 17.27 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1978 ranks 53th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1978’s babies belong to the Snake and the first weeks of 1979 to the Horse. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Horse means
Tradition calls Horse people energetic, independent and adventurous. The element adds a layer: a Earth Horse is read differently from a Metal Horse. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Horse years. Read the full Year of the Horse guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Horse
The Horse returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Horse itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 11 Feb 1918 | 31 Jan 1919 |
| 1930 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 30 Jan 1930 | 16 Feb 1931 |
| 1942 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 15 Feb 1942 | 4 Feb 1943 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 3 Feb 1954 | 23 Jan 1955 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 21 Jan 1966 | 8 Feb 1967 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 7 Feb 1978 | 27 Jan 1979 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 27 Jan 1990 | 14 Feb 1991 |
| 2002 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 12 Feb 2002 | 31 Jan 2003 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 31 Jan 2014 | 18 Feb 2015 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 17 Feb 2026 | 5 Feb 2027 |
| 2038 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 4 Feb 2038 | 23 Jan 2039 |
Matches for people born in 1978
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 1978
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1978. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1978 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 7 February 1978 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 21 February 1978 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1978 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 10 June 1978 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 17 September 1978 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 6 February 1978 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1978?
1978 is the Year of the Horse (马, mǎ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 戊午, a Earth Horse year, yang (阳). It began on 7 February 1978 and ended on 27 January 1979; 1979 is the Year of the Goat.
I was born in January or February 1978. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Horse started on 7 February 1978. Born on or after that date, you are a Horse; born between 1 January and 6 February 1978, you are a Snake. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1978 in 1978; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1978 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 戊 (wù), which also makes 1978 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Horse, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1918 and the next is 2038.
How old is someone born in 1978 in 2026?
Someone born in 1978 turns 48 in 2026 (47 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 49 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Horse?
2038, starting on 4 February 2038. For someone born in 1978 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 1978?
About 17.45 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −2.3% compared with 1977. That ranks 1978 53th 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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