Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1997 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Ox
丁丑年 Fire Ox, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as an Ox, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1997.
The answer
1997 is the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac: an Fire Ox year, 丁丑 (dīng chǒu) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 7 February 1997 to 27 January 1998, so people born from 1 January to 6 February 1997 belong to the previous animal, the Rat. China recorded 20.38 million births in 1997.
1997 at a glance
- Animal
- Ox 牛 (niú), second of the 12
- Element
- Fire 火, yin (阴), from the stem 丁 (dīng)
- 60-year cycle
- 丁丑 dīng chǒu · the same Fire Ox year was 1937 and comes again in 2057
- Starts
- Friday, 7 February 1997 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Tuesday, 27 January 1998 · the Year of the Tiger begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1997 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1997
- 20.38 million in mainland China (NBS), −1.4% on 1996
- Age in 2026
- Turns 29 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2033
- Best matches
- Snake and Rooster (三合 trine), Rat (六合 pair) · clashes with the Goat
Born in 1997? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1997 the cut-off was 7 February 1997.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 6 Feb 1997 1997 | Rat 鼠 | Fire | 丙子 |
| 7 Feb 1997 – 31 Dec 1997 | Ox 牛 | Fire | 丁丑 |
| 1 Jan 1998 – 27 Jan 1998 | Ox 牛 (still) | Fire | 丁丑 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1997 in 1997) 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 Oxs: China’s births in 1997
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 20.38 million births in mainland China in 1997, −1.4% compared with 1996 (20.67 million); 1998 had 19.42 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1997 ranks 34th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1997’s babies belong to the Rat and the first weeks of 1998 to the Ox. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Ox means
Tradition calls Ox people diligent, dependable and patient, and pairs them best with the Snake and Rooster. The element adds a layer: a Fire Ox is read differently from a Earth Ox. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Ox years. Read the full Year of the Ox guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Ox
The Ox returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Fire Ox itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Fire Ox 火牛 · 丁丑 | 11 Feb 1937 | 30 Jan 1938 |
| 1949 | Earth Ox 土牛 · 己丑 | 29 Jan 1949 | 16 Feb 1950 |
| 1961 | Metal Ox 金牛 · 辛丑 | 15 Feb 1961 | 4 Feb 1962 |
| 1973 | Water Ox 水牛 · 癸丑 | 3 Feb 1973 | 22 Jan 1974 |
| 1985 | Wood Ox 木牛 · 乙丑 | 20 Feb 1985 | 8 Feb 1986 |
| 1997 | Fire Ox 火牛 · 丁丑 | 7 Feb 1997 | 27 Jan 1998 |
| 2009 | Earth Ox 土牛 · 己丑 | 26 Jan 2009 | 13 Feb 2010 |
| 2021 | Metal Ox 金牛 · 辛丑 | 12 Feb 2021 | 31 Jan 2022 |
| 2033 | Water Ox 水牛 · 癸丑 | 31 Jan 2033 | 18 Feb 2034 |
| 2045 | Wood Ox 木牛 · 乙丑 | 17 Feb 2045 | 5 Feb 2046 |
| 2057 | Fire Ox 火牛 · 丁丑 | 4 Feb 2057 | 23 Jan 2058 |
Matches for people born in 1997
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 1997
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1997. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1997 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 7 February 1997 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 21 February 1997 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1997 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 9 June 1997 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 16 September 1997 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 6 February 1997 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1997?
1997 is the Year of the Ox (牛, niú). In the full 60-year cycle it is 丁丑, an Fire Ox year, yin (阴). It began on 7 February 1997 and ended on 27 January 1998; 1998 is the Year of the Tiger.
I was born in January or February 1997. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Ox started on 7 February 1997. Born on or after that date, you are an Ox; born between 1 January and 6 February 1997, you are a Rat. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1997 in 1997; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1997 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire (火, huǒ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 丁 (dīng), which also makes 1997 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Fire Ox, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1937 and the next is 2057.
How old is someone born in 1997 in 2026?
Someone born in 1997 turns 29 in 2026 (28 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 30 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Ox?
2033, starting on 31 January 2033. For someone born in 1997 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 1997?
About 20.38 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −1.4% compared with 1996. That ranks 1997 34th 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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